


Retelling of The Lost Boys

by Spinnerchild



Series: Relationship of Fate [2]
Category: Lost Boys (Movies)
Genre: F/M, Multi, Retelling, Same As Movie But Different
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-25
Updated: 2017-10-25
Packaged: 2019-01-22 22:29:37
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 16
Words: 40,661
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12492232
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Spinnerchild/pseuds/Spinnerchild
Summary: This is a retelling of the Lost Boys in the same vein as the rest of the Relationship of Fate series.





	1. Humiliation and Retaliation - David's POV

**Author's Note:**

> TLB is owned by Warner Bros not me...

David’s existence had continued on as usual, with him and his boys roaming the Boardwalk, stalking their prey and making a point of tormenting Greg and his surf Nazis. He was restless however, and had been causing trouble pretty much everywhere he went and had been pushing Max’s buttons as much as he could. So much so that Max had now forbidden David and the boys from entering the video store or going anywhere near Maria. David’s apathy for both Star and Laddie had steadily been growing too and his patience with her and his tolerance for the boy had worn thin, so thin it was damn near transparent. He had developed a general disinterest with both of them and had begun to allow them to walk the Boardwalk alone so he could go off and do whatever he wanted with his boys, which had made Marko happy, but despite his disinterest, he still had the need to control her and possess her and he still had the fundamental desire to have her turn. She was still a good lure for victims and he enjoyed watching them fall all over her and then have her come to him and leave them disillusioned and semi heart broken. He was still intensely attracted to her and wanted her sexually but every time he was with her, he felt something was missing which annoyed him and left him dissatisfied.

David had told the boys to get ready and Star and Laddie sat quietly on the couches watching them. Their stares were heavy on him and he could feel they wanted to come out with him but he didn’t care, he wanted to go out with only his boys tonight.

‘Stay here with him.’ He told her and she looked at him and still said nothing.

‘I’ll see you later man.’ Dwayne shook Laddie’s hair as he walked past him and up the cave entrance while Paul walked over to her and chucked a candy bar at her.

‘Cheer up girl.’ He said and Star smiled back at him then he followed the rest of the boys out. They headed down to their favourite haunt and parked up their bikes out the front of the Boardwalk. They cruised around the Boardwalk, blending in amongst the people, Paul wanted to watch the exotic belly dancers for a while and then they went and listened to the live band for a bit. The summer crowds were in and the place was buzzing with teens who were on spring break. They left the stage and casually walked around the rides, picking out their victims for the night until David spotted Greg having a romantic ride on the Carousel with Shelley and he half smiled.

‘Time to fuck with Greg.’ David said, hitting Dwayne’s chest with the back of his hand and looking over towards the happy couple. He led the boys over towards the moving Carousel and they stepped on, then slowly he made his way between the horses and chariots until he had reached the two he was targeting. Shelley saw him approaching and she flicked her head around to look at him and David raised a gloved hand tenderly touching her cheek, to the hollering and cat calls of Paul and Dwayne. Marko stood behind her and smiled at both the girl’s and Greg’s reactions and David’s move achieved the desired effect when Greg reached over and shoved David hard in the chest causing a fight to break out. Greg’s friends launched forward at Marko and Paul and began pushing and wrestling with them while David kept Greg at arm’s length by pushing on his chin when suddenly he had a baton placed on his throat and he was pulled back against a large man who was breaking up the fight.

‘I told you to stay off the Boardwalk.’ The fat security guard said to David while looking at Dwayne, Paul and Marko. Paul raised his hand to protest but refrained as David was still being accosted by the man. The boys were waiting for David’s reaction to make a move but they halted when there was none.

‘OK boys, let’s go.’ David said, pulling the baton off his throat then turning to look at the guard and giving him a filthy look before walking away.

‘You too. Off the Boardwalk.’ He told Greg and Shelley while the boys slowly walked off the still turning Carousel.

‘That fat fuck.’ David spat as they walked back to their bikes. ‘He’s fucking dead tonight.’ He was fucked off, this guy had been watching them and threatening them for weeks and despite Max telling David to pull his head in, David had had enough of this shit and was going to take matters into his own hands.

‘You should have just torn into Greg right there.’ Paul said. ‘We could have started a massacre on the Boardwalk. There are definitely a few chicks around tonight I wanna carve up.’ Paul spun around watching two girls walk past him. That would be something Paul would be totally into and the thought made David smile. 

‘You’d fuck or kill anything with a pulse.’ Marko said.

‘You know it little brother. Especially Maria…’ He said laughing, baiting Marko. ‘I wouldn’t fuck that Shelley dog though, she’s nasty. I’ll leave her for Don Juan over here,’ he said nodding towards Dwayne and Dwayne just looked at him, ‘and Dave can take care of Greg.’

‘Oh, Greg is going to get his, they all will, but tonight we are going to deal with that fucking guard once and for all. He’s been a pain in my ass for too long.’ The boys took off to a bar downtown and had some drinks but it did nothing to sedate David’s mood. The bar closed and they went back down to main beach and waited for the Boardwalk to close. The moon had been long in the sky and the crowds had dissipated and they bided their time smoking and observing the remaining people lazing around the dying bonfires dotted along the shore line.

‘Dave are you sure you wanna do this? Max is pissed with us as it is.’ Marko asked watching David inhale his smoke.

‘I don’t give a shit. That fucker needs to pay, and we’re going to collect.’ David knew that Marko was right, that Max was pissed at them and killing the head of security wasn’t going to help that situation, nor was it going to get any better when he took Greg out but David was beyond caring about what Max expected of him anymore. David flicked his cigarette away as he saw the lock down procedure beginning to take place on the Boardwalk. ‘Game time boys.’ David said as he morphed into his true self and smiled, shooting way up into the sky and waiting for his brothers to join him. Once they were all air borne, they flew off above the Boardwalk as the lights were being switched off along the stretch of the fair grounds and he began to laugh when he spotted the man who had humiliated him earlier and his boys laughed with him. The man walked out into the parking lot and David sped up and they made their presence known to the asshole and the man looked up at them and began to scream and run when Dwayne swooped down making him screamed again and held his hat as he ran towards his car. Paul swooped down on him and he began frantically trying to open his car door despite that fact it was still locked and then David attacked, grabbing him so hard that the entire door came off with him. He took the man skyward, clutched tight in his grasp, and he tore his throat open as he flew then he dumped him far, far out into the great Pacific Ocean. His retaliation had given him a strong sense of self satisfaction and he now looked forward to teaching Greg and his wanker boys a lesson even more so now he knew the intrinsic value it held. Returning to his bike, it was late but David wasn’t ready to retire back to the cave just yet.

‘Talk about a stress relief.’ David said landing a few feet from his ride. ‘Now all I need is a night cap and my night will be perfect. You guys go and eat, I’m going to see who’s still available down at Grapes.’ He said smiling.

‘You dirty dog.’ Paul laughed and the boys took off while he headed down to the dodgy little club and, upon arriving, he found it closed but one of the waitresses was still lingering outside alone and he pulled up next to her.

‘You all alone?’ He asked.

‘I’m waiting for my ride.’ She told him, adjusting her jacket around her waist.

‘How long have you been waiting?’ He asked her, staring deep into her light green eyes.

‘Um… I, um…’ She stumbled on her words under his influence and in his smooth deep tone, he told her to get on his bike. He took her down to Panther Beach and quickly became intimately acquainted with her then once he’d finished with her, he all but drained her and again another body was deposited into the dark ocean.

‘Where are you?’ Dwayne called to David.

‘Just finished with my date. Where are you guys?’

‘Parked up near the bush. Meet you on the cliff.’ Dwayne told him.

‘Be there in ten.’ David said, jumping back on his bike and disappearing down the road. He flew up to the cliff top from their parking spot where he found the boys and they made their way into the mouth of the cave but as soon as he entered their home, he could smell blood in the cave.

‘What the fuck?’ Paul said, also picking up on the scent but David didn’t respond, he was already beginning to look around to see if anything was out of place but he found nothing out of the ordinary aside from the smell. Then he noticed his bottle on the table. David charged over to Star’s bed to wake her and the boys lingered in the back of the cave while he placed his hand on her shoulder to wake her. She jumped about a foot off the bed with his touch and her reaction surprised him and he watched her carefully trying to ascertain if it had been her.

‘Did you touch the bottle?’ He asked her and she turned her head over her shoulder and looked at him and, examining her eyes, he instantly knew it hadn’t been her, unless there had been someone else there, by process of elimination it had to have been the kid. ‘Did you give it to him?’ He asked.

'What?’ She responded, half asleep.

‘The bottle, did you give it him?’ He asked her again, demanding an answer.

‘No, I didn’t.’ She said staring at him and he penetrated his gaze into her, deciphering whether she was telling the truth or not and, believing her, he pulled away glancing at the kid.

‘Fucking kids.’ He said once again frustrated she hadn’t killed him yet. He retreated back to his sleeping cave deep in the hotel with his boys for the night.


	2. Humiliation and Retailiation - Star's POV

The next month kind of rolled into one for Star. She went through the motions with the boys, almost robotically, but her heart really wasn’t in it anymore. David seemed to pay less and less attention to her yet he still expected her to do as he said when he said it and showed no signs of letting her go. It was as if he was trapped with her just as much as she was trapped with him only he had all the control and the authority and she had none leaving her feeling more like a possession than a partner. She had all but given up on pursuing any kind of ultimate freedom and had settled for the small portions of alone time he afforded to her. She had also begun blindly abiding by David’s rules with no questions asked, in order to keep the peace, as there was still the underlying fear she had for him and his unpredictable moods but she appreciated the fact that David had given her licence to roam the Boardwalk without him and his boys. Sometimes with Laddie and sometimes without, but she still wasn’t permitted to leave without David. Despite it all, the Boardwalk was where she managed to find some happiness. There she could wander aimlessly without a care in the world, almost as they did, and she could be free of their mockery and judgement. She would pretend that she was uncontrolled, as uncontrolled as everyone else was, to do as she pleased and she immersed herself in the live music, finding that was her favourite place. No one questioned her or expected anything of her and she could hide from the nagging pain in her stomach and in her mind that wanted blood and instead she would dance. She would soak up the energy and revel in the atmosphere of the life around her and try to forget but it was getting harder and harder as time went on. She would go and sit on the beach and feel the sand beneath her feet and collect trinkets and pretend she was just another tourist enjoying the summer on the coast. But her nights would inevitably end with the familiar call from David for her to come back to him and she would ride with him back to her cold rocky home. She had accepted her life as it was but hadn’t quite given up on the hope that someone somewhere would be able to help her. David had stopped asking her to bring him and the boys victims but she suspected he still covertly used her for that purpose. He had pretty much stopped everything with her, he barely spoke to her and the odd occasions he did want to have sex with her, he still seemed to show a lack of interest and she was suspected was off hooking up with other girls with the boys, probably before they killed them. She wondered if he would change back to the way he was with her in the beginning if she turned but she just couldn’t bring herself to do it.

She sat on the couch watching them get themselves ready to go out and David told her to stay in the cave with Laddie and they had left. She busied herself by hanging up more cotton and sheer curtains around hers and Laddie’s beds but she could see Laddie was bored.

‘Do we have to stay here? Why couldn’t we go with them?’ Laddie complained while he sat on the fountain edge, next to the fallen chandelier in the centre of the room, swinging his legs feeling annoyed.

‘Because David said.’ Star told him.

‘So? He could have let us walk around the Boardwalk like we usually do. Why do we have to be stuck here?’ He asked looking down and kicking his foot harder.

‘I don’t know.’ She answered him troubled and she wondered the same thing. She tried not to think about what they were up to but she couldn’t help herself.

‘Shall we go down to the beach? You could go for a swim?’ She offered him. She knew David wouldn’t like it but she also figured David would be too busy and distracted to really care if they went down to the beach for a couple of hours. The more she thought of it, the more she wondered if he would even care if they went down there at all, she had the feeling he just didn’t want them on the Boardwalk tonight. He barely cared about anything she or Laddie did anymore, so they went down to Greyhound Rock Beach and Laddie went down to the water and began to fire off rocks and shells into the rolling waves. Star stood and smiled as she watched him take out his frustration on the inanimate objects, then she turned and began to slowly walk up the length of the beach. The night was warm and there were still a few people buzzing around from the day. She found a shell with intricate edges and elaborate markings and she picked it up and kept walking. She looked up and the sky was cloudless and the many stars that were out in the sky were clear and bright, brighter that she could remember ever seeing them before and she became a little mesmerised by them until she was snapped out of it by the sound of Laddie’s laughter and she looked back to see him talking and playing with some other kids. She stood and watched him for a while and she enjoyed seeing him play with kids his own age and seeing him be a kid and doing kid things was nice. David would never allow him to interact with any of the kids on the Boardwalk which made her think Laddie was left a little lonely, even though Paul and Dwayne were like his mates. Then as she watched, her smile faded when she thought she saw his eyes glint red and him go to grab one of the kids but she soon realised they were just playing and her fear was slightly alleviated. Sadness engulfed her with the reality that he could kill one of the kids just as quickly as the boys could, just as she could and she was reminded of how wrong it was for David to have done this to a child. They had been down there for just over an hour and the other kids were called away by their parents and she caught Laddie watching them go and be with their parents and then he looked over at her and he came running up to her shaking the water from his hands.

‘I’m hungry.’ Laddie said, wiping the wet hair out of his eyes.

‘OK, let’s go get you something to eat from the food stand at the end of the street.’ She said.

‘No, I mean I’m hungry. I could smell the blood in their bodies and it made my stomach hurt.’ He corrected her and she froze and looked down at him. ‘I’m becoming like them, aren’t I?’ He asked her and kneeled down to his level.

‘No, you are not like them. You will never be like them.’ She tried to reassure and comfort him but it was in vain, even she doubted her own words now. The thirst for her was like having nails driven into her veins and she figured it must be just as bad for a little boy who didn’t have nearly the will power that she did. ‘Come on, we better get back.’ She told him looking around the beach. The safest place for Laddie was back at the cave and away from any people right now. They made their way up to the Bluff and down into the cave entrance and Laddie ran straight over to where David kept the bottle of his blood and he took a large gulp of the contents.

‘Laddie, no!’ Star screamed at him and she rushed over to take the bottle off him. ‘David will know you have drunk it without permission.’ She said putting the cork back in the neck and placing the bottle on the table. David’s blood was intense and she could see the instant effect it had on the boy and she hoped she could get him to sleep before the boys arrived back for the day but she knew he would want to see Dwayne before he slept.

‘When will they be back?’ He asked, his little cherub face flushed and his pupils dilated. Although he looked wired, she could tell he was also sleepy.

‘I’m not sure. Go and lie in bed and as soon as they arrive back, I will tell Dwayne to come and see you.’ He smiled at her words and he bounced off and got into bed clutching his teddy bear and lay on his side. She lit two more of the barrels and collected together some of her latest shells and ornaments and decided what she was going to do with them. She settled on stringing them up along the wall attached to a piece of driftwood. She placed holes in the items and tied them to the stick and hung it amongst the strands of weeds growing along the cave walls and she was happy with the result. It was late when she was done and she was surprised they weren’t back yet, she wasn’t sure how close it was to sunrise but she was feeling the pull of sleep so she guessed it couldn’t be far away. She walked over to her bed, tucking Laddie in under his blanket on the way. It’s not that it was cold, vampires didn’t feel the cold anyways, but it was more a maternal gesture that made her feel like she was taking care of the boy within the nightmare existence he lived. She lay on her bed with her eyes growing heavy and before she knew it, she was asleep.

_Star was walking down the main Boardwalk but it was totally empty. Everywhere she looked was void of people and there were small bits of paper scattered all over the ground and blowing around in the wind. All the lights were still on and she kept walking along the path, stopping at the Looff Carousel and watching the horses rise and fall to the jingling music when out of the corner of her eye she caught sight of someone standing over the other side of the Carousel but with the movement of the horses she was unable to see who it was. She moved to try and see the face of the person but he still alluded her._

‘Stop.’ She turned her head to the right to see David slowly walking towards her. ‘He’s not for you to see.’ He said.

‘Why not?’ She asked turning back to try and see the man opposite her.

‘Star, I said don’t.’ He sounded serious and she turned back to look at him and his eyes were burning red and he was now standing close to her. ‘Someone is here to see you.’ He said motioning over her shoulder and as she turned, she was face to face with her father and he reached out to touch her shoulder. 

Suddenly she was awoken by a hand on her shoulder and she jumped in fright, her heart beating hard in her chest.

‘Did you touch the bottle?’ She opened her eyes to see David standing there above her. ‘Did you give it to him?’ His question changed and she didn’t immediately click as to what he was talking about.

‘What?’ She asked him.

‘The bottle, did you give it him?’ He repeated annoyed.

‘No, I didn’t.’ She looked at him and he stood there maintaining eye contact with her for a few seconds then he released her gaze.

‘Fucking kids.’ He said under his breath before he walked off and she went back to sleep.


	3. Fate Intervenes - David's POV

David had woken early and gone for his morning cigarette out on the rocks and had seen the last deepest dark orange glow disappear under the watery horizon when Dwayne appeared out next to him, sparking his own cancer stick. David was on edge, Dwayne could see that, but he didn’t quite know why.

‘What’s goin on?’ He asked him and David gave him a sideways glance and continued smoking.

‘We’re gonna get this lot up and go out. Paul and Marko up?’ David asked.

‘Nah, Paul’s not but Marko is I think. He always wakes up when you leave.’ David nodded, his mind elsewhere. Marko was in tune with David but Paul had always been on his own wave length.

‘Go get them and I’ll wake the other two.’ He said turning to walk back into the cave. He woke Star up and told her to wake Laddie and to get ready then he got himself ready. Paul and Marko appeared from their sleeping quarters with Paul looking a little worse for wear.

‘A bit early don’t you think?’ He said to David, shaking his hair out.

‘Paul, you look like shit. Get yourself together, we’re goin out.’ David told him, giving Marko a look and shaking his head. Paul was fun but fuck, he was a mess sometimes. They left soon after and headed down to the Boardwalk and, upon arriving at the entrance, David projected to the boys to stay on their bikes as they were just dropping Star and Laddie off. He stopped his bike and Star got off while he sat back and looked at her. ‘I’ll let you know when I am back.’ He said to her and he leaned over towards her and he held her chin in his fingers demanding her undivided attention and pressing his influence upon her. ‘Stay on the Boardwalk.’ It was a thinly veiled warning and she nodded at his words while Dwayne told Laddie to get off his bike and that he’d be back for him soon, then David led the pack off up the main road.

‘Where are we going?’ Marko projected to his brother but he got no answer, David just sped up and gunned it through a red light, seeing if the boys would do the same and, of course, they did with Paul coming up the rear and forcing a car to slam on its breaks and spin sideways. David was swerving in front of cars and wildly in and out of traffic like a maniac. Paul was loving it, they all did when David was in one of his ‘fuck it’ moods, which was more often than not at the moment. They were over the other side of Santa Carla when David decided what he wanted to do and he skidded around back toward the Pier and pulled up outside of Max’s video store.

‘What the fuck are we doing here?’ Paul choked.

‘We’re going to visit our esteemed leader.’ David said getting off his bike. They walked one after the other into the store where, behind the counter, Max’s white dog quietly growled at them and Max turned and gave them a filthy look. They walked around the store behind him, taunting him, when a lady walked in and up to the counter holding the hand of a little boy who was crying.

‘Excuse me, this little boy is lost and I’m wondering if his mother might be in here?’ Max turned his attention to the woman and David looked up at her from a video case that was sitting on the other side of the counter that he and Paul were looking at.

‘I don’t really know.’ Max answered. Paul picked up the case and tapped it a couple of times on the counter, weakly trying to get Maria’s attention then he walked around past the wall of TV sets with the rest of the boys.

‘Terry! I was so worried.’ The little boy’s mother came rushing into the store and hugged him.

‘Oh how great.’ The woman said, placing her hand to her chest, smiling.

‘Don’t run off anymore.’ The mother told the boy.

‘There you are.’ Max said handing the little boy a lollipop.

‘Thank you.’ Both the little boy and his mom said in unison as he took the lollipop and they walked out of the store.

‘Bye Terry.’ The lady said and looked back to Max as the boys approached Maria at the counter behind Max. David ignored her and continued walking but Marko, Paul and Dwayne all smiled at her and stood at the counter in front of her.

‘Ha, we only come here to watch one thing.’ Paul said teasing her then he walked away while Marko stopped and placed his elbows on the counter, face to face with her and smiled at her. She smiled back and shyly shook her head and he spun around and followed the rest of the boys towards the exit.

‘Well done.’ Max said handing the lady a lollipop too.

‘No thanks.’ She politely declined. ‘Well, second thought.’ She took the lollipop from him smiling but Max’s smile faded as all the boys appeared behind her.

‘I told you not to come in here anymore.’ Max told David and David looked at him then slid his eyes to the lady and smiled. Max was flirting with her and trying to be dominant in this instance and it made David laugh. Dwayne stood behind him and looked from Max to the woman also, picking up on the subtle attraction while Paul placed his hand on Dwayne’s shoulder and gave the OK sign to Max as they all began filing out of the store. Marko halted and gave the woman and Max one last look before he followed suit and walked out. They mounted their bikes and took off, heading back towards the main Boardwalk and pulled up outside the entrance.

‘It appears Max has a crush.’ David smirked. It had been decades since Max had shown any interest in a female but tonight was obvious. So much for the ‘no females’ rule. Bunch of shit. He couldn’t take Star off David now, not that David was going to let that happen anyways.

‘She’s old.’ Paul was incredulous.

‘So is he.’ Dwayne said.

‘Suppose. But even he could do better couldn’t he?’ Paul said, not seeing any attraction worthy qualities in the lady he’d seen.

‘I’m back, where are you?’ David called for Star. ‘We’re at the entrance.’

‘I’m coming.’ She projected back and he sat, still straddled on his bike, with Dwayne, still seated on his, next to him and sparked a cigarette. He wondered how long it would be before Max would reprimand him for tonight and for the security guard, Max would know it was them that had killed him. Paul and Marko were sitting on the wall behind the bikes pointing out the hotties walking past, and the dogs, and teasing each other on whom the other would fuck. Star emerged from out of the crowd with Laddie and Laddie headed over towards Dwayne while Star walked towards David. David was content with where things were at with her, he would call and she would come. She knew her place with him and he had her right where he wanted her, completely submissive to him. It was only a matter of weeks before she would turn, she was weak and he knew it. He watched her every move as she came to him and he reached out and helped her get on his bike behind him. He gave Dwayne a superior smile as she sat and wrapped her arms around his waist.

‘Look.’ Dwayne projected to David and he saw Dwayne lift his head, motioning to someone in the walkway. Marko was also watching someone and David turned his head to see a young man standing there staring at them. David analysed the man and when he saw the kid, looking decidedly dejected, from Star to David and back again, it made him smile. His ego loved seeing their reaction when they realised she was his property and they had no chance. His boys pulled away and he took off after them and as he rode away, he felt Star turn to look back at the dude. He tried to think if he’d seen the kid before because he wasn’t familiar but it was summer and the place was teaming with tourists and he never really paid any attention to the tourists other than to feed and steal off them.

David followed the boys to the spot where they stashed their bikes near the bush and he got off then they began the walk back to the cave.

‘You better hurry up with her bro, cause damn, Maria looked hot tonight.’ Paul laughed and Dwayne chuckled at the look on Marko’s face.

‘You touch her and I’ll rip your balls off.’ Paul laughed at him and Marko pushed Paul in the back making him fall into Star but she didn’t react, she just kept walking with her head down. David looked at her and honed in on her thoughts which were still on the man who had followed her. He kept watching her, trying to ascertain if she knew him but he couldn’t tell, she had been on the Boardwalk a lot without him recently and he’d told her that she wasn’t to speak to anyone except Laddie but he wondered if she’d kept to that. He’d been too busy doing his own shit to notice.

‘Who is he?’ David asked her but she continued walking just behind him lost in her thoughts of the man. David stopped walking, as did the other boys, and got her attention.

‘Star?’ She looked up at him surprised. ‘Who is he?’ He repeated, his eyebrows raised.

‘I don’t know. Just some guy on the Boardwalk.’ She tried to brush him off but he wasn’t buying it. She kept walking and David’s eyes followed her as she walked past him and he knew one thing for sure, he’d picked up on the interest she had in the boy and he didn’t like it. They followed her until they arrived at the head of the Bluff and he strode over, picking her up and flying straight out above the sea. She clutched onto him for dear life, which is exactly what he wanted. He wanted to remind her that he could crush her at any point if he wanted to, her life was in his hands and he could do as he wanted with her, especially if she was going to fantasize about some dick from the Boardwalk. She looked up at him nervously and he flew her into the cave, placing her down in the centre of the room and keeping his gaze on her, gauging her reaction. ‘Thank you.’ She said quietly, moving away from him and he made a mental note to track the kid and find out who he was. The other boys arrived back in the cave and Paul, as usual, sat and rolled up. Star had gone to sit on her bed and Laddie went running over to her as soon as he entered while Marko went to see his pigeons and Dwayne sat next to David.

‘What was that about?’ He asked him.

‘It seems Max isn’t the only one with a crush.’ David said turning to his brother. ‘You seen that kid before?’ Dwayne shook his head picking up on David’s annoyance. David was feisty and on edge at the best of times but this was only going to make him worse and his gaze fell back on Star as he contemplated his next move. Paul came over with two perfectly rolled joints and handed one to David, looking at Dwayne and acknowledging that David’s mood had flipped again, sometimes the guy was worse than a bi polar. David sat smoking the joint and he watched Star for a few minutes then he projected to Paul to go and find Greg, prompting looks from all the boys. First he was baiting Max to his face and now he was going to kill Greg? Knowing it was forbidden? David was getting worse.

‘Ohhh, but I haven’t finished my smoke.’ Paul silently complained.

‘Go!’ David yelled out loud and Paul got up and bolted out of the cave, still clutching his smoke. About half an hour passed and the smoke had worked a bit of its magic on him. Max had tried contacting him a couple of times but David had ignored him, if Max thought he was pissed now, just wait until David had taken out Greg the little fuckwit.

‘Found him?’ David projected to Paul impatiently.

‘Yeah, he’s parked up at Cliff Drive Vista Point.’ David got up and threw his roach in the fire barrel.

‘Stay here. We’ll be back soon.’ David told the other boys and he shot out of the cave and within ten minutes, he was rapidly approaching the lookout and Paul appeared beside him.

‘Ready?’ David asked him and Paul looked over at him smiling.

‘You know it.’ He laughed. Paul was the perfect partner in crime for David on a mission like this and he flew down and scratched on the lid of the car, then with a twist of his wrists the roof of the car peeled off like a tin can and David launched on Greg, ripping him from his seat and leaving Shelly to Paul. As David flew off with Greg, he heard Shelly screaming and he smiled, knowing Paul was taking care of her. Greg was yelling and screaming and struggling as David flew him down to Moran Lake, dumping him harshly on the ground, smashing his shoulder and snapping some ribs in the process.

‘What the fuck?!’ Greg exclaimed breathlessly.

‘Remember me?’ David loomed over him, an ugly smirk smeared across his face.

‘What the fuck are you?’ Greg asked, his eyes wide.

‘I’m your worst fucking nightmare.’ David’s smile was gone and he was deadly serious.

‘Dude, please,’ Greg pleaded with him, ‘I’m sorry. I won’t fuck with you anymore. I won’t fuck with your girl again, I promise. Please, just don’t hurt me.’ David smiled at the pathetic being in front of him.

‘Oh, I’m not going to hurt you. I’m going to do far worse than that.’ David then grabbed him off the ground and ripped into him, making the guy scream in terror and pain. Once David was finished with him, he turned around covered in blood and found Paul sitting on a picnic table watching him.

‘Gotten rid of her?’ David wiped his face as he spoke.

‘Yeah bro, she’s a goneburger.’ Paul said smiling.

‘Let’s get the fuck out of here.’ David said, picking up the remains on the ground and dragging them into a large skip then slamming the lid closed. David’s endorphins were rushing through his body after killing Greg and he had the similar release that he’d had after killing the security guard, only it was slightly tainted by the Star thing.

They arrived back to the cave soon after and David walked straight over to Star, taking her hand and, without saying anything, he pulled her to her feet and led her out the back with him. He could feel her apprehension but as soon as they’d entered the side cavern, David turned and kissed her, his mouth still coated with Greg’s blood. Forcing his tongue in her mouth, he felt her stiffen and resist but he held her tighter and watched her eyes and saw them involuntarily change with the ingestion of the blood and the sight gave him another endorphin hit. He pressed his influence hard upon her and she relaxed into him and responded to him the way he wanted her to. There was no way he was going to leave her to think about this guy all day long, she was his girl and he was going to remind her of that, both mentally and physically.


	4. Fate Intervenes - Star's POV

David had gotten everyone up early and he and the boys had taken Star and Laddie down to the Boardwalk. She got off David’s bike but he remained seated and he looked her over.

‘I’ll let you know when I am back to collect you.’ David told her and he gently grabbed her chin with his fingertips, making her connect with his eyes and looking into his cool pools of blue, she could feel his compulsion affecting her and it was something she hadn’t felt in a while. ‘Stay on the Boardwalk.’ He told her and she nodded. Laddie jumped off Dwayne’s bike and trotted over to her and they both watched as the boys rode off.

‘Where would you like to go?’ She asked Laddie, shaking off her suspicions of where David was going and she scanned the entrance to see who was around.

‘I wanna go on a ride. Will you come on a ride with me?’ He asked, his blue eyes peering up at her hopefully from behind his hair. She wasn’t usually the one who did this sort of thing with him but tonight she would be.

‘Sure, let’s go.’ She agreed. They went on the Big Dipper, the Ferris Wheel and the Carousel before Laddie wanted something to eat. She got him a hot dog and they went and sat on the beach together while he ate. ‘I wonder who the band is tonight.’ She mused absentmindedly. She was keen to go see them and after he’d finished his meal, she jumped up and headed off to go and see them, they sounded really good from where they'd sat on the sand and she led him towards the stage.

Holding Laddie’s hand, she skipped into the crowd and led him through the collection of people, making her way up a path to the platform leading up onto the Boardwalk, overlooking the crowd. There were plenty of people around her, some head banging and some dancing and cheering and she felt happy. The atmosphere was electric and this was exactly where she wanted to be. Although she didn’t know who they were, the band were great. The singer was fit in his purple tights and he was rocking the stage, along with his saxophone to the thrill of the rocking crowd. With a huge smile on her face, she held her hair back and surveyed the people around her and it wasn’t long before she noticed someone watching her. He had classic chiselled good looks with long dark curly hair and her attraction to the boy was almost instant. She suddenly felt an excited nervousness that she hadn’t felt for months and she continued to dance, a little awkwardly, to the screaming sound bursting through the speakers. She tried not to look at the gorgeous guy, who wouldn’t take his eyes off of her, but she found it nearly impossible and she finally engaged in eye contact with him. He was the first man to truly make her heart flutter since the night she’d met David and as he smiled at her, her attraction to him began to scare her and she quickly turned away, ushering Laddie away with her. 

‘Who was he?’ Laddie asked her as they walked past the rides and down the main drag of the Boardwalk.

‘Who?’ She asked vaguely, knowing exactly who he was referring to but not wanting to admit it.

‘That boy who was staring at you.’ He said. He had seen him and she hoped that David wouldn’t be able to pick up on that. She could not let him get even an inkling of any of this.

‘I don’t know. Why?’ She asked looking over at a crystal ornament on a stand.

‘Cause he’s following us.’ His comment surprised her and made her heart skip a beat. Suddenly Greg and his boys came running past her followed by two other kids chasing them and she kept walking without saying anything. She could feel the boy behind her and she walked a few more feet before she abruptly spun around to face him.

‘Are you following me?’ She asked him, positioning Laddie in front of her and placing her hands over his shoulders.

‘Yeah, I am.’ He said with a sly grin on his face.

‘Did you wanna talk to me?’ She asked and, unable to help herself, she smiled back at him. He was so hot.

‘Yeah, I do.’ He said.

‘Well talk.’ She encouraged him.

‘How are you?’ He asked her, looking a bit dumb struck that she was actually talking to him, but before she could answer a younger boy ran up to him and interrupted them.

‘Mom’s here.’ The younger boy told him, then he looked over at Star and instantly became distracted by her and stared at her but Star continued looking at the older boy. Laddie peered at the comic the younger boy was holding and was a little spellbound by the image on the cover. It was a vampire.

‘It was nice talking to you.’ She smiled, semi teasing him, and she turned and walked away.

‘Wait, wait a minute.’ The older boy tried to stop her but she kept walking.

‘I’m back, where are you?’ David’s voice appeared in her head. ‘We’re at the entrance.’

‘I’m coming.’ She answered him, guiding Laddie towards the exit. She walked out beneath the large Boardwalk sign and saw David straddled on his bike to the right of the exit, waiting for her. Laddie walked off and was lifted by Dwayne onto the back of his bike while she approached David, holding her skirt in preparation of getting on his bike and he held her elbow to assist her in mounting on behind him. She wrapped her arms around his waist glancing around to her left and she froze. The older boy had followed her to the exit and he stood, visibly gutted, staring at her on the back of David’s bike. He was so handsome and, even though David and the boys were right there, she couldn’t help herself and she smiled at him again. David turned to look at the young man and she was aware of him smiling. She hoped he would keep his eyes on her but she could tell by the boys expression David was giving him a mocking smile and she knew David too well to know that he was laughing at him. She then heard Marko pull away, followed by Paul then Dwayne and finally David followed and she was pulled away from him. Riding down the alleyway, she turned and looked back at him, giving him one last smile, then she turned back to hold on to David as he sped up.

They arrived back to the bush where they park their bikes for the day and they began the walk back to the cave, but she was unable to stop thinking about the gorgeous guy that had followed her. It wasn’t just that he’d followed her, guys had followed her before, it was the way she felt when he looked at her, the undeniable butterflies she got looking into a different pair of blue eyes, ones that didn’t want her to kill and only made her smile. He was young and pure and strong and he was consuming her thoughts, so much so, she didn’t hear David questioning her.

‘Star?’ She shot her eyes up to see the boys had stopped walking and were looking at her. ‘Who was he?’

‘I don’t know. Just some guy on the Boardwalk.’ She tried to sound indifferent but wasn’t sure she was pulling it off. She kept walking and David followed her until they had got to the cliff top and suddenly he swooped her up into his arms and flew her out above the ocean and held her there. She grabbed hold tight of his neck and he just looked down at her, his eyes gleaming with power and confidence, then he shot her inside the cave, leaving the other boys back on the Bluff. He gently placed her down but his stare was heavy on her. ‘Thank you.’ She said and she stepped away from him and tried not to let him see her shaking. His gesture had felt like a strange sign of ownership of her but it wasn’t for the boys benefit, they already knew she was his, it was more a reminder to her that he could do as he pleased with her. Star walked off to her bed as the others entered the cave and Laddie came running up to her and hugged her while the other boys dispersed around the cave.

‘Are you alright?’ She asked him worried and he nodded his head but still wouldn't let her go. ‘Laddie, what’s wrong?’ She asked him trying to pull him off her.

‘I don’t want him to hurt you. I love you Star.’ He said in a muffled voice, his face buried in the folds of her skirt, and she placed her hand on the back of his head. David’s act had scared him and, in truth, it had scared her too.

‘I love you too Laddie. I’m fine, I told you, he won’t hurt me. We’re both going to be fine.’ She lied, but she had no choice. ‘Come on, jump into bed and read one of your comics.’ She tucked him in and he looked at her with big sad eyes.

‘Did he do that because of that boy?’ He asked her and she looked down at him.

‘I don’t know but I’m OK. OK?’ She pulled his blanket up over him and kissed his head, he was too young to be worrying about David hurting her. A waft of pot streamed past her and she hoped it would chill David out a bit, she never thought the boy would have the balls to follow her as blatantly as he did and she never intended David to see him or to have the reaction that he did. Although, David had been on edge for days, well before she had even seen the boy, so it didn’t surprise her that he took offense to what had transpired, but really, she hadn't done anything wrong. She can't control whether a guy follows her or not.

‘Go!’ Suddenly David’s voice boomed into the cave and she looked over to see Paul bolt out of the cave. She glanced over at David and he gave her a flat expressionless look and she turned away again. She could see he was unimpressed with her, hell she could feel it, and it could only have something to do with the boy. She laid low, sitting on her bed reading a magazine, and she tried not to think of the gorgeous curly haired man who had followed her, who had smiled at her and who had liked her enough to look despondent when she was sitting behind David. Before long, she heard David rise and tell Dwayne and Marko to stay there with her and she looked up to see David leave. The heaviness she had felt coming from him left with him and she took a deep breath in and relaxed a little.

‘Nice work.’ Marko fired a filthy look at her but she ignored him. She didn’t know where David had gone, but she knew he’d sent Paul out to do something first before he’d left to join him and she prayed it had nothing to do with her mystery suitor. Dwayne began sketching while Marko lay on the couch getting even more smashed and talked shit to Dwayne about a range of things and their interest in doing their own things was almost comforting to her. As much as she tried though, she simply couldn’t get the boy out of her head, she wondered where he was from and what his name was but most of all, whether she would see him again. The butterflies returned every time she pictured him smiling at her and it was a feeling she never wanted to go away. She lit a few candles around her bed and lay down, watching the flickering of the flames and the dancing shadows they were making on the wall. Laddie had crashed, as had Marko, when she heard David and Paul come back and David walked straight over to her and grabbed her hand, hard enough that she knew not to pull away, and pulled her with him out towards the back of the cave. She didn’t know what mood he was in now or what he was doing but she saw he was covered in blood and she felt sick, her anxiety peaking thinking he had killed the boy on the Boardwalk as they headed towards ‘their’ room, knowing what he always wanted to do in that room. He didn’t let go of her hand as they walked and she heard Paul jump on the couch waking a disgruntled Marko before she disappeared out the back. She fought the urge to resist him as they got to the room because she knew a confrontation was the last thing she needed or wanted to do but as soon as she stepped inside, he turned and his mouth was firmly on hers and his hand was on the back of her head locking her in his kiss. She tried to push him off but the second his tongue touched hers the taste of blood filled her mouth and her body stiffened, feeling the instinctual change that she had no control over, and she looked at him with wide eyes and saw the superior sparkle in his then a wave washed over her and she melted into his embrace. Her mind went numb and her body clung to him, she felt almost in a trance and unable to listen to her gut screaming at her to stop and to pull away from him. She felt totally powerless as he took over her body and soul.

‘You’re my girl Star. Nobody else’s.’ He reminded her and he took her. After he had gotten his fill of her, he kissed her and left her in the bed alone for the night. She lay there in the aftermath of their twisted intimacy, feeling a multitude of emotions. She felt dirty and ashamed laying there, tainted with his semen inside her, she was angry and frustrated he was able to do this to her and fearful that she would never get away from him and never be able to have someone like the boy on the Boardwalk. But ultimately, she felt sad that this would probably be her life forever, that no one would ever want her knowing what she is inside anyways. Despite sleeping with David, her feelings for him had not returned, her basic attraction for him was still there but the deeper feelings she had thought she had for him in the beginning were gone. She’d been with him for about six months but it felt much longer, so much had happened to change her life that she felt she couldn’t go back now anyways. She got up and went back to her own bed and hoped she would be allowed to go back to the Boardwalk tomorrow. The thought of seeing the boy again made her smile and she closed her eyes.


	5. Max's Decree - David's POV

David woke up feeling happier after last night. Greg was history and he felt like he’d secured her firmly back under his thumb and everything was back to normal. Then just as he had that thought, Max appeared in his head.

‘David! Answer me!’

‘What?’ David answered him with attitude, dropping down off his perch and flying out down the passageway.

‘Get all of your asses to my house. Now!’ Max demanded as David looked into the side cavern to see if Star was still asleep but he found it empty and he walked out into the main lobby.

‘Your house? I don’t know where you live.’ David said, spotting her in her own bed and he watched her flick open her large almond eyes like she’d heard him.

‘Escalona Drive. Now!’ David rolled his eyes and turned to see Marko and Paul walk out, followed shortly by Dwayne. He looked back over at Star and she had gotten up and Laddie was getting out of bed then he ran over to Dwayne. He decided he would drop Star and Laddie back down at the Boardwalk while they went and dealt with Max, not that it was what he wanted to do but there was no way Star was going to meet Max nor was Max going to lay eyes on the kid. Besides, after last night, he felt he had nothing to worry about, in fact, he was sure of it. They got themselves ready and once Star was ready, she walked towards him and stood next to Paul. David was taken by how beautiful she looked tonight and he almost said something but he held his tongue and instead walked out. On the way up to the Bluff, all David could hear was Laddie bitching and moaning that he wanted to stay with Dwayne and he felt like grabbing him and throwing him off the fucking cliff. Without breaking his stride, he picked Star up as soon as they reached the top and they were airborne, flying above the bush towards his ride. He had to leave, he couldn’t stand listening to the little shit go on any longer. He put her down as he landed and he got on his bike, Paul and Marko dropping out of the sky beside them. Dwayne was next and as soon as he landed, Laddie started up again.

‘Laddie stop.’ Star told him and he just gave her a look of defiance and that was it for David. He told her to get on and as soon as she held on to him, he flicked the throttle and left the boys in his wake. He knew making Max wait wasn’t a good move but the thought of leaving her on the Boardwalk was making him feel more and more uncomfortable the closer they got and he contemplated leaving her someplace else but he didn’t and he pulled up outside the entrance to the Boardwalk and again remained on his bike.

‘Hop off.’ He told her and she did. ‘I’ll be back soon.’ He heard the others arrive but he ignored them and maintained eye contact with her. He looked at her hard and silently warned her to stay in line but then Dwayne interrupted their connection.

‘Dave, I’m gonna take Laddie with me. I gotta do this man.’ David glared at his brother and his eyes flicked to the little boy, who cowered away behind Dwayne.

‘For fucks sake, kill him already.’ David projected, glancing back at Star before turning his bike and riding off towards Max’s street. David was pissed and the night hadn’t even begun yet. Max was not going to be happy with Dwayne not being there, Max wasn’t happy anyways, but now David was going to have to lie about where he was. Fuck.

They arrived on the street twenty minutes later and once David saw Max’s car, he pulled up outside the house and got off his bike.

‘Where are we?’ Paul asked, looking at the house with a screwed up face.

‘We’re in yuppie city, that’s where we are.’ Marko answered him.

‘This is Max’s house.’ David’s comment made them both halt and look at him. It was one thing to mess with Max in public where he couldn’t do anything but to come to his house and do it was suicide. ‘Come on.’ David told them. ‘He’s expecting us.’ They walked up the stairs to his apartment and Max’s door opened before they could knock and he stood there, looking less than impressed.

‘Get in here.’ He drew David inside and the other two followed.

‘Nice neons.’ David said mocking Max’s décor choices as he walked through the door. ‘Why are we meeting here?’ Max closed his door and before the boys even knew what had happened, all three of them were slammed against the wall by their irate, fully turned elder. The hit had taken David by surprise, even though he knew Max was angry at him, and he had cracked his shoulder blade.

‘What did I fucking say to you?!’ Max spoke in a low bone chilling tone as they all steadied themselves back onto their feet. David’s rebellion surged, he wasn’t going to let Max intimidate him and he arrogantly glared back at him.

‘He had it coming.’ Max cracked him hard across the face and the boys stood and watched in shock, at both Max’s anger and David’s defiance.

‘Don’t you fucking sas me boy!’ Max told him. ‘You were warned not to come into my store any more, and to stay away from Maria,’ Max looked at Marko, ‘and you were sure as fuck told to leave Greg alone.’ David continued to stare at him like he didn’t care what he had to say. ‘And what the fuck happened to the security guard?’ David shrugged.

‘Maybe he got lost.’ David’s cavalier attitude was doing him no favours. Max spun on his heel and walked into his kitchen and picked up a glass of what looked like red wine but David knew wasn’t. Max was where David had got the idea to keep blood in a wine bottle.

‘I have a job for you, for all of you.’ Paul watched as Max changed his tack and flipped. He was worse than David and Paul realised that Max and David were so different yet so much alike and he guessed that was what happened when you spent over a century together. ‘Including Star.’ David’s attention piqued with the mention of his girl and Max smiled knowingly at him. ‘I’m adding to the pack. There are two brothers who have just moved to Santa Carla and I want you to induct them. I thought Star would be a nice lure for the older one and once he is in, the younger one will follow.’

‘Star is not…’ David started to speak and Max gave him a look that stopped him.

‘You’re on real thin ice as it is David and if you don’t do this, you will regret it. You don’t want to go the way of William do you?’ David knew Max’s power and when to push it and when to leave well enough alone. He also now knew that he would not live should he go against Max on this one. David was feisty but he wasn’t stupid.

‘Fine. Who are they?’

‘Michael and Sam Emerson.’ Max told him. ‘I want you to find them and befriend them. Welcome them into your gang David, you need some fresh blood. All of you do.’ Max said looking at the others then he stopped. ‘Where’s Dwayne?’

‘He’s doing one of his Indian Ceremonies. It’s the half year new moon.’ David said quickly and Max looked away. Dwayne had always maintained his heritage and Max knew it.

‘When I call for all of you, I expect all of you come.’ Max told them and Paul nodded. ‘I want it done by next week. Now get out.’ Max kicked them out and David happily left. He walked down the stairs to their bikes and it didn’t take a genius to see David was pissed.

‘Fucking cunt!’ David spat, straddling his bike and booting it to life. ‘Let’s get the fuck outta here.’ The last thing he felt like doing was hanging out at the Boardwalk now, nor did he want Star there.

‘Where are you?’ He projected to Dwayne.

‘Leaving downtown now. Where are you?’

‘Meet me at the side entrance of the Boardwalk.’ David responded before spinning his wheels and doing a massive screeching burnout right in front of Max’s place and riding off. Fucking Max, he didn’t want anyone to join his boys and he resented Max for making him do this and for assuming that Star was his to use in this capacity too. He knew he had to break away from Max’s authority, he just didn’t know how.

They pulled up outside the Boardwalk under the archway by the beach and shut off their engines.

‘What’s up?’ Dwayne projected to David.

‘Apparently we’re adding to our crew.’ David responded, lighting a cigarette. ‘Fucking Max.’ David was seething and was in no mood to even think about Max’s decree let alone talk about it right now. All he wanted to do was finish his cigarette, call for Star and get the fuck out of here. He inhaled his smoke and watched the people walking past when he saw Star walk into his line of sight, talking to the same kid from the night before. He restrained his instinct to react and he sat there and continued to smoke not taking his eyes off her. He watched her as she nervously laughed and flirted with the boy while they walked towards a pissy Honda parked just down from them and she was so involved with her interest in the kid, she didn’t even see them or sense they were there. The boys picked up on David’s distraction and saw her too and their collective mood, that was already sour, turned even darker. After their visit with Max, David was in no state to put up with this but at the same time he was in the perfect mood to stir shit up with someone stepping on his turf. He saw the shaggy haired kid get on his bike and hold out his hand to her and that was the catalyst that made David move, there was no way she was going anywhere with this fucker. He flicked his smoke away, revved his engine and he rode down the pathway, pulling up beside her, his boys backing him and trapping to two of them in. Star turned and he instantly saw the guilt ridden shocked look on her face and he knew he’d sprung her. His level of disdain for this situation right now was palpable yet taking her out from under the guy was giving him a certain level of amusement.

‘Where ya going Star?’ He pressed his cold stare into her, watching as she couldn’t even bring herself to look at him, but she had no choice but to answer him.

‘For a ride.’ A ride. Was she fucking kidding? ‘This is Michael.’ She weakly introduced him and David’s eyes flicked over to the boy and looked him over, pure judgement streaming off him.

'Let’s go.’ Michael said to her and he prepared for her to get on behind him and David was surprised to see her turn to get on. She had to know there was no way David was going to allow that.

‘Star?’ He spoke her name and it was laced with the power he had over her. She turned back to look at him and their eyes locked. He drew her to him with his mental influence and he projected to her to get on his bike. He knew he had her by the look on her face and he watched her turn and look back at Michael before she walked towards him. He studied her closely the whole time, unimpressed she had again tried to defy him, and he didn’t let the eye contact with her go, watching her walk to him and he smiled a controlling grin as she placed her arm across his chest onto his shoulder and she got on his bike behind him. He’d won and as he looked Michael up and down, he saw that Michael knew it too. Now to fuck with him. He wasn’t going to let this punk get away with trying to steal his property away that easy. Paul laughed at Michael, mocking him, and David decided he’d lay down a challenge. Let’s see what this kid had.

‘You know where Hudson’s Bluff is, overlooking the point?’

‘I can’t beat your bike.’ Michael complained, motioning to David’s bike.

‘You don’t have to beat me Michael, you just have to try and keep up.’ David egged him on, willing him to take up the challenge. He wanted to show him no one fucked with his girl without some retribution and he wanted to show Star what happened to men whom she decided to ignore his directive for. David heard Dwayne tell Laddie they were going for a ride and David took off, heading down the staircase onto the sand and screaming off down the beachfront. Dwayne and Paul were weaving in and out with each other and around the people and bonfires on the beach laughing and Marko hollered at them. David called out too and he heard Star giggle, he couldn’t see Michael but he was sure he was following and he sped up and gunned it underneath the pier. He felt Star hold on tighter and out of the corner of his eye, he saw Marko near him. They kept going down the beach and Paul screamed around to his left and flew up into the air over a small sand dune, landing heavily on the sand and skidding around before he picked up speed again. David laughed, thinking there was no way Michael’s piece of shit bike would be able to keep up with them when he saw Michael follow Paul into the air and his face dropped a little. He was surprised, the kid must really wanna show them what a man he is, either that, or he really wanted Star to see how tough he was. Fine, if he wanted to play, David would make him play. David took off towards the Northern end of the beach, went out onto the main road and headed up towards the forest. He entered at the southernmost tip of the woods and went through the longest and hardest track he knew of up to the top of the Bluff, the boys following close behind him and loving every minute. David rode out onto the cliff top road and the weather had turned windy and dark with misty sea spray coming up from the ocean and David pulled harder on the throttle. Let’s see how big this kids balls really were. He gunned it towards the cliff edge and to his surprise, Michael appeared next to him. Star was laughing and reaching out to him and David had him.

‘Come on! Come on Michael!’ David yelled out as he prepared to go over the edge and he felt Star withdraw her arm and hold on tighter to him. David watched the edge come closer and closer and then he heard Star cry out and he saw Michael go off to the side and off his bike out of the corner of his eye and he halted his bike just as his front tyre knocked a small rock over the edge. David smiled as both he and Star looked down over the cliff when he heard Michael yelling at him.

‘What the hell you doing huh?’ Michael ran towards David.

‘Nooo!’ Star screamed out and David felt the force of Michael’s fist against his cheek. Dwayne and Paul pushed Michael but David heard him continue to provoke him and he turned and smiled at him. It appeared Star had picked one with some gumption and David was almost impressed with the boy and he decided he wasn’t quite done with him.

‘How far you willing to go Michael?’ David taunted him and he could see the reactions on his boys faces in his peripheral vision. He didn’t quite know what he was going to do but Michael was going to come with them down to their cave and David was going to have some more fun with him.


	6. Max's Decree - Star's POV

Star slept peacefully once she’d returned to her own bed and in the evening, although she didn’t consciously hear anything, she knew David was out in the main cave and she opened her eyes to see him staring at her. She sat up and saw the others walk in after him, Laddie woke a minute later and he jumped up and ran to see Dwayne, as he always did. She got herself tidied up, did her hair and make up and made herself look really pretty. She didn’t even want to think it with David around but she really hoped she would see the boy from last night again. David and the boys got ready without speaking to her and once she felt ready, she walked over to join them. David gave her a once over and looked like he was going to say something but he didn’t and they all walked out. They walked up the rocky staircase and once they’d reached the top, David picked her up, which again surprised her, and Dwayne did the same to Laddie and they flew down to the bikes instead of walking. David seemed to be in a hurry which perplexed her because he never hurried for anyone. Laddie had been complaining all the way to the cliff top that he wanted to stay and hang with Dwayne and he started again once they had got to the bikes, and David looked like he’d had enough as he got on his bike.

‘Laddie stop.’ Star tried to make him stop but he wasn’t budging and David started his bike up and told her to get on, leaving ahead of the others and riding rather recklessly to the Boardwalk. Once they had arrived, he told her to get off as the other boys pulled up behind him.

‘I’ll be back soon.’ He gave her a lasting look and, although he didn’t say anything, she knew exactly what he was saying to her and she knew he was alluding to last night.

‘Dave, I’m going to take Laddie with me. I gotta do this man.’ Star turned to see Laddie sitting behind Dwayne holding him tight and refusing to get off his bike. Laddie had never done this before and Star was slightly concerned over his display of insecurity and how the boys, particularly David, would deal with it. She looked back at David and he had a face like thunder on him and suddenly David turned and looked at her.

‘For fucks sake, kill him already.’ He projected to her and he peeled out, with Paul and Marko following him. Dwayne headed off towards downtown and Star was left outside the Boardwalk alone so she turned and slowly walked off down the main drag past the food stalls. David's comment had a lasting effect and she again thought of how she was going to protect Laddie and try to escape for good. She wandered aimlessly around the fairgrounds looking at all the familiar rides and shop items and she found her thoughts wandering back to the boy from last night and soon she was utterly distracted with her hope in finding her mystery man again. She went down to the beach and walked along the sand until she came to the stage area, where a different singer had taken the mic, and she scanned the crowd for his dark curly hair and his sea blue eyes but she was unable to find them, she even looked for his brother but she couldn’t find him either. Maybe he wasn’t here, maybe he was only here for the one night or that was his last night in town and her chance of ever seeing him again was lost. That thought actually made her sad, sadder than she expected to feel over a man whose name she didn’t even know and it was then she realised just how much of an attraction she had to him. No wonder David had done what he’d done, he’d obviously picked up on it even before she was truly aware of it herself. She left the stage and walked up towards the Boardwalk again, meandering back past the rides, wondering when the boys would be back. She had so looked forward to seeing the man who had made her heart beat harder but she was feeling despondent being unable to find him and she was losing interest in being there. About to give up on her quest, she walked towards the hot dog stand near the ear piercer and she suddenly saw him. He was wearing a new leather jacket and watching a girl get her ear pierced and she froze, her heart beating in her throat. It took a split second for her to decide to go up and speak to him, she couldn’t let him get away without speaking to him again.

‘It’s a rip off.’ She said over his shoulder and she turned to slowly walk away willing him to follow her. ‘If you want your ear pierced, I’ll do it.’ She offered without looking at him. She could feel the excitement pouring off of him as he walked behind her.

‘What’s your name?’ He asked her.

‘Star.’ She answered running her hand through her hair looking around trying not to show how much she liked him.

‘Oh, your folks too huh?’ He laughed and she spun around.

‘What do you mean?’ She stopped and looked at him.

‘Ex hippies. I came this close to being called Moonbeam or Moonchild or something like that.’ She smiled and kept walking. ‘But Star is great, I like Star. I’m Michael.’

‘Michael’s great, I like Michael.’ She repeated his words giggling. ‘So I guess you’re new around here huh?’

‘Sorta. We used to come here summers when I was a kid but now I’m here on a more permanent basis.’ She nodded and looked away still walking. He had moved here! In her town, he was now living here! Her heart skipped a beat hearing him say that. ‘Where’s your little brother?’

‘He’s not my little brother.’ She said sullenly, looking to the ground hoping he wouldn’t ask about anyone else he’d seen her with.

‘Wanna get something to eat?’ He asked, trying to prolong his time with her and she was pleased.

‘OK.’ She said, thinking she would have the time to go and come back before David returned. She walked with him towards a small red motorcycle and he got on, holding out his hand for her to get on behind him. As she reached out for his hand, she heard the growl of the boys bikes behind her and her heart sank as she turned to see David pulling up next to her. Oh God, he was back already. Why hadn’t he called for her? Then she realised he’d been watching her and she looked down, feeling like she’d been caught doing something she shouldn’t be. Marko and Paul pulled up next to David trapping her in while Dwayne parked in front of Michael’s bike trapping him in also.

‘Where ya going Star?’ David asked her, sucking the air out of her world and dominating the situation as soon as he opened his mouth.

'For a ride. This is Michael.’ She reluctantly introduced the boy to David and she saw David look over at Michael, sizing him up.

‘Let’s go.’ She heard Michael say and she turned to look at him, wanting so badly to get on his bike and ride away with him.

‘Star?’ David’s voice penetrated her and she knew it was over. She turned her head to look at him and his expression exuded possessiveness. He commanded her eye contact and she couldn’t take her eyes off him. She began to feel the familiar pull towards him in her solar plexus and she was powerless. ‘Get on.’ She heard David’s demanding voice in her head and after a few seconds she looked back to Michael only to turn straight back around and walk towards David. She was fully sucked into his orbit and she walked to him as if in a trance and got on behind him. She took her jacket and put it on and wrapped her arms around his waist, hearing Paul laughing at Michael. She sat behind David, his influence fading, and she stared at Michael dreading what David was going to do next.

‘You know where Hudson’s Bluff is, overlooking the point?’ David asked him and for the second time in five minutes, her heart sank and she felt sick. She was sure Michael was going to end up dead tonight.

‘I can’t beat your bike.’ Michael told him.

‘You don’t have to beat me Michael. You just have to try and keep up.’ Star didn’t take her eyes off Michael as David spoke to him and she really hoped he wouldn’t be scared off and he would follow her but feared he was following her to his grave. Dwayne whispered something to Laddie and David pulled away fast down the pathway towards the stairs leading down to the beach. He dropped down the stairs and roared off across the sand and she looked around to see if Michael was following and she saw Paul and Dwayne tearing up the sand then she saw the smaller bike screaming up the inside trying to keep up with the boys and she smiled. The boys all began hooting and hollering as they rode and David joined them which made her giggle. She loved going fast on the back of his bike but she loved it even more knowing that Michael was chasing after her. They flew under the pier, dodging the wooden piles by inches then they continued down the beach, leaping over sand dunes and around the bonfires dotted along the beach. Michael kept up as much as he could but she could see him struggling with Paul and Marko swerving around him and in front of him. David led them up through the bush towards the Bluff, going the most complicated and dangerous way he could, and she wasn’t sure if he was trying to lose Michael or not but Michael remained steadfast and continued in his pursuit. They reached the opening to the road towards the head of the Bluff and it was dark and misty and David sped up considerably. She was sure he was going as fast as his bike could go and she looked behind him and saw Michael pushing his bike to breaking point to catch up then suddenly Michael was beside them and she looked at him smiling and she reached out her arm to him.

‘Come on!’ David yelled at him. ‘Come on Michael!’ He called out as they fast approached the cliff edge and Star suddenly became aware of what David was doing and she held on to him tighter preparing to go over the edge. They got closer and closer and she watched to see what Michael was going to do, but knew pretty soon it would be too late and he would go over no matter what he did. As she watched in shock, Michael skidded off his bike and went careening across the gravelled ground and she cried out. David stopped his bike just as his front wheel hit the edge of the cliff and she looked down to see the waves crashing violently on the rocks. She turned just in time to see Michael running towards David and she quickly got off the bike.

‘What the hell you doing huh?’ Michael screamed.

‘Nooo!’ Star screamed at him as he stormed at David punching him in the face. She was terrified of David’s reaction, so sure it would be severe.

Dwayne and Paul pushed at Michael but Michael didn’t quit baiting David.

‘Just you! Come on, just you! Come on, just you.’ Michael was baiting David but David just looked back at Michael and smiled at him. She knew David well enough to know that beneath his smile, lay a monster and now Michael had sealed his fate.

‘How far you willing to go Michael?’ David asked him and Star held the hair out of her eyes staring at David, unsure of what he would do next.


	7. The Initition - David's POV

David and the boys stashed their bikes and began to walk down towards the cave. David could sense both Michael’s and Star’s apprehension as they walked and he loved being the one in control.

‘Where are you from Michael?’ David asked him as he navigated his way down the broken rotting stairwell.

‘Phoenix. I just moved here with my mom and brother.’ Michael replied jumping to skip a particularly precarious stair.

‘Mom and brother huh?’

‘Yeah, my brother is younger and is going to start school in the fall and mom just got a job in a video store.’ Suddenly David’s conversation with Max flooded back to him. One of them was named Michael, this couldn’t be the kid Max was talking about, could it? That would be insane.

‘What’s your surname Michael?’ Marko asked him, picking up on exactly the same thought as David had.

‘Emerson.’ Holy fuck, it was him.

‘Michael Emerson.’ David said thoughtfully. Marko and Paul glanced at each other and David continued to walk in silence for a moment. Whether David wanted it or not, Star had already been the lure and Max’s plan was well underway to fruition. He looked over at Star and she gave him a nervous look in return and he smirked, his initial plan was still going to go ahead but now his ultimate goal was going to have to change. He was going to fuck with him and kill him in front of her to teach her a lesson, much like he’d done with the cop a few months back, but now he couldn’t kill Michael or Max would have his head. They approached the final few stairs before they climbed the rocks up to the cave entrance and down into the main room of their home. Dwayne walked ahead of David and began lighting the barrels and Paul and Marko followed him. David went next and as he heard Star and Michael hit the floor and he began to walk around beside the edge of the old fountain. ‘Not bad huh? This was the hottest resort in Santa Carla about 85 years ago, too bad they built it on the fault. In 1906, when the big one hit San Francisco, the ground opened up, this place took a header right into the crack.’ David dramatically explained, clapping his hands for effect. ‘So now it’s ours.’ David turned to look at Michael.

‘So check it out, Mikey.’ Paul laughed, a joint hanging out of his mouth and a lighter in his hand. Dwayne and Marko chuckled too but David remained cool.

‘Marko, food.’ David demanded and Marko threw the pigeon he was holding up in the air and he left. ‘That’s what I love about this place. You ask, and then you get.’ Then just as David spoke, Paul handed him a lit joint. ‘Thank you.’ David said, taking the spliff.

‘Yeah.’ Paul smiled at him and he turned and jumped up on the edge of the fountain again and walked around to Dwayne.

‘Appetizer?’ He offered the smoke to Michael and Michael looked at it for a second before taking and it making David smile. ‘You’ll like it here Michael.’ David placed his arm around Michael’s shoulder and guided him towards the couches and deliberately away from Star. David made sure he was dominant and nothing was going to be left to chance between those two. Even though Max had dictated what he wanted to have happen, David wasn’t going to just forget what had transpired on the Boardwalk and he was going to ensure Michael knew his place here. David sat with Michael and smoked the joint while Paul rolled another few and Dwayne kicked his skateboard around. Michael was nervous, David could tell, but as the smoke began to take effect Michael began to relax a little. David didn’t take his eyes off of him, he inhaled the smoke and watched the man trying to work out what appeal Michael held for Max. He couldn’t see anything outstanding or obvious about him and the attraction between this kid and his girl annoyed David.

‘Where are you from?’ Michael asked after about ten minutes of zoning out and watching Dwayne kick flipping his board.

‘Here.’ Dwayne answered.

‘I mean, where do you live?’ Michael’s questions had the boys smirking and looking at each other.

‘Here.’ Dwayne repeated him in between tricks.

‘Where are your people?’ People? What was he talking about? David looked at him quizzically.

‘Is he talking about parents?’ Paul laughed.

‘What are they?’ Dwayne added and they all laughed. All except Star. David looked at Michael and he sat looking even more confused.

‘We do what we want Michael. We have complete freedom. Nobody knows about this place and nobody knows about us.’ Michael stared at David and the room went quiet. ‘Freedom Michael. No people. No rules.’

David was aware Star had made her way around the back of the cave and that she now stood behind him. He liked that he now sat between him and her. He was a literal physical block between them and he could see every time Michael snuck a look at her, or blatantly stared at her as he was right now.

‘Feeding time! Come and get it boys.’ Marko broke the growing silence and he brought the food over to the couches, where all the boys now sat.

‘All right.’ Paul said as Marko passed a carton to Dwayne.

‘Chinese. Good choice.’ David approved of Marko’s decision and he took a carton of rice from him.

‘Over here bud.’ Paul said and Marko threw a carton over to him.

‘Guests first.’ David offered Michael his carton.

‘Oh, no.’ Michael declined, holding up his hand.

‘You don’t like rice? Tell me Michael, how could a billion Chinese people be wrong?’ David laughed. ‘Come on.’ He encouraged him to take it and Michael relented, like David knew he would. David picked up a carton of noodles and he dug around them with his chopsticks as Michael took his first mouthful. ‘How are those maggots?’ David asked casually and Michael stopped.

‘Huh?’ Michael asked him and David leaned forward and spoke more directly to him.

‘Maggots Michael. You’re eating maggots, how do they taste?’ David taunted him and he watched with glee as Michael rolled his eyes, then looked down at his food to see the contents wriggling around and he instantly spat it out and dropped the carton on the floor sending David and the boys into fits of laughter. David saw how mentally weak and easily manipulated Michael was and David laughed louder.

‘Leave him alone.’ David loved his psychological games but Star not so much and her voice had made him stop, his smile fading. She was sticking up for him, defending him against David’s teasing and it grated on him. He looked slightly to his right, semi acknowledging her request but he wasn’t going to have her shut him down. If anything, it only made him want to fuck with the kid even more.

‘Sorry about that. No hard feelings though?’

‘No.’ Michael weakly dismissed David’s trick, looking confused as to what had just happened to him.

‘Why don’t you try some noodles?’ David held out his carton and offered it to Michael and Michael looked at the noodles and closed his eyes.

‘They’re worms.’ He said looking sick.

‘What do you mean ‘they’re worms?’’ David pulled the carton back, grabbing some noodles with his chopsticks and shoving them in his mouth.

‘Don’t eat…’ Michael tried to stop him but David was eating them already.

‘They’re only noodles Michael.’ David mocked him and Michael snatched back the carton to see for himself while the boys laughed at him again. This was proving far easier than David had thought it would be, maybe it was the smoke or maybe Michael was just a piss ant.

‘Ah-hahaha! Nice worms.’ Paul laughed and David sat back satisfied at Michael’s confusion and embarrassment.

‘That’s enough.’ Star objected again, she was still trying to halt their game and her insistence had David’s back up.

‘Ah, chill out girl.’ Paul fired back at her. Her comment didn’t go unnoticed by David, despite the fact he largely ignored her, but he still didn’t react to her. She really liked him. She had to, for her to attempt to publicly scald David in front of his boys, and especially in front of someone he was manipulating into a submissive position. Fucking Max, making him turn this dick. All David wanted to do was rip his head off but he knew he had to finish this and he would deal with her challenging him later. He pulled Marko down next to him and told him to bring him his wine. As Marko went off to get his bottle, Star walked from behind him to in front of him and looked at him, then at Michael and back to him and he knew she now knew what he was going to do. David took the bottle and pulled the cork from the neck and he took a large swig and as he swallowed, he was hit with the unmistakable flavour of Max’s blood, involuntarily flinching before he reopened his eyes. Max had planned this down to the very last detail.

'Drink some of this Michael. Be one of us.’ David’s voice pulled Michael in and he stood and stepped towards him and Star moved closer behind Michael as he took the bottle from David.

'Michael, Michael, Michael…’ The boys began chanting his name and piling their collective pressure onto him. Peer pressure was a very effective tool without it coming from vampires but add in their compulsion and no one could turn them down.

‘Don’t. You don’t have to Michael.’ Star said to him and David picked up the urgency in her voice.

‘Michael.’ David gave him one last push and maintained his steel stare upon him and he heard Star try again to stop him.

‘It’s blood.’

‘Yeah, sure. Blood.’ Michael dismissed her comment and quietly laughed at her then he skulled some of the bottles contents.

‘Bravo!’ David crowed loudly, clapping his hands and the others joined him, cheering Michael on. David was actually happy, he’d done as he was instructed and he’s won this little power struggle between himself and Star. Michael was now firmly under his influence which is exactly where he wanted him. ‘Give me a ride Marko.’ David demanded and he began to chant his name again. Marko came and began pushing David in his wheelchair like a king and David smoked a cigarette.

'You’re one of us bud, let the good times roll!’ Paul congratulated Michael with a slap on his shoulder and the party started. The music was pumped up and they all danced and celebrated Michael becoming their new addition. A little later they sat around, smoked more and laughed together while Michael held onto and drank from the bottle as if it was the sacred idol that had gained him David’s respect and the boys acceptance, but in reality, it was all just a power play for David. He had no real interest in Michael, only to appease his elder’s latest whim and to put a dent in the blossoming attraction between Star and the kid. David looked over at Star and she looked forlorn as she watched the boys embrace Michael into their world. He injected himself into Michael’s mind and began repeating his name over and over again laughing.

‘Boys, take Michael home.’ David projected to them a little later and they all glanced over at David before rising from their seats. He’d had his fun with Michael and he was ready to deal with Star now.

‘Come on Michael.’ Marko said to him.

‘Where are we going?’ Michael mumbled, smashed from too much pot smoke.

‘We’re going out.’ Paul took his arm and pulled him up, steadying him as he stood.

‘But I wanna stay…’ Michael attempted to say looking over at Star but he was ignored and guided out of the cave, leaving David alone with his girlfriend. David sat there and watched her eyes follow Michael out of the cave and then she looked down, almost sad he’d gone and his annoyance grew. He stood and slowly walked towards her bed and when she looked up at him, their eyes locked. He kept walking, silent step after silent step keeping his heavy stare upon her and he could see her uneasiness rising.


	8. The Initition - Star's POV

Star watched with silent alarm as David and the boys put their bikes out of sight and headed towards the cave. What was he doing? In the time she had been with them, he’d never taken anyone down into the cave, except for Laddie, and look how that had turned out. She was sure he was going to kill him, he would probably kill her too after tonight. David pushed her ahead of him and Michael trailed a little behind them. They walked for a while before David began to speak to him.

‘Where are you from Michael?’ She heard David ask and her nervousness increased.

'Phoenix. I just moved here with my mom and brother.’ She listened with interest at Michael’s response, relieved he sounded so normal. He was just what she wanted him to be.

‘Mom and brother huh?’ David said, making her wonder if his interest in what Michael had to say was genuine.

‘Yeah, my brother is younger and is going to start school in the fall and mom just got a job in a video store.’ Michael said. She enjoyed the confirmation that his family had moved there like he’d told her.

‘What’s your surname Michael?’ Marko asked him and she shot her head around to look at him only to receive a dirty look.

‘Emerson.’ Michael replied and suddenly the air went cold.

‘Michael Emerson.’ David said thoughtfully and she watched him take deliberate steps as his mind ticked over, making her wish she had the ability to peer into his thoughts like he could hers. He looked over at her and she could tell by the look on his face that something had changed. She nervously looked back at him and he smirked, making her stomach somersault. He still had the ability to turn her whole world upside down with just a look and she hated it. Dwayne and Paul went ahead as they neared the entrance, followed by Marko and then David. Star held back until Michael was behind her and she reached her hand back to touch him and she glanced at him before they went down after David. Coming down the slope into the main cave, she saw Dwayne lighting the barrels and Paul as asking Laddie to get him the stereo but she was more concerned about what David was going to do. Michael being here was very dangerous.

‘Not bad huh? This was the hottest resort in Santa Carla about 85 years ago, too bad they built it on the fault. In 1906, when the big one hit San Francisco, the ground opened up, this place took a header right into the crack. So now it’s ours.’ She heard David speaking but all she saw was Michael listening intently.

‘So check it out, Mikey.’ Paul laughed and she walked away from Michael around the other side of the fountain.

‘Marko… food.’ David said and Marko left instantly. ‘That’s what I love about this place. You ask, and then you get.’ Paul handed David one of his famous joints, smiling. ‘Thank you.’ David said.

‘Yeah.’ Paul smirked at David as David took the joint.

‘Appetizer?’ David offered the smoke to Michael and placed his arm around his shoulders and her heart sank. ‘You’ll like it here Michael.’ David told him as Michael took the smoke and she looked down. Her white knight had been taken and was now secured under the arm of the Devil. What was he playing at? Was this what David was going to do to her, just torment her forever and take everyone away from her for the rest of her existence? But why was he being nice to Michael? He had killed men for less than this and she hadn’t even liked those men, she actually liked Michael, more than she was willing to admit, and here he was welcoming him into their home. She stayed over near her bed and silently watched David and Michael smoke the joint together and she observed David just as he observed Michael but Michael was quickly too stoned to really notice either of their scrutiny.

‘Where are you from?’ Michael asked, his words a bit unclear.

‘Here.’ Dwayne called out.

‘I mean, where do you live?’ Michael sat up visibly trying to clear his head of the impeding smoke and get a proper answer.

‘Here.’ Dwayne again answered and it surprised her, Dwayne never spoke to anyone new.

‘Where are your people?’ Star looked from Michael to David and saw even he was confused about what Michael was asking, and that didn’t happen often.

‘Is he talking about parents?’ Paul was mocking him, they all were.

‘What are they?’ Dwayne asked Paul laughing. This whole thing was just one big game to them.

‘We do what we want Michael. We have complete freedom. Nobody knows about this place and nobody knows about us.’ As David spoke, Star slowly inched her way around the other side of the cave, ending up behind David. She hoped she could catch Michael’s eye and try to get him to leave. ‘Freedom Michael. No people. No rules.’ David finished and she saw he had Michael’s full attention. It took a second but once Michael spotted her, their eyes locked and the intensity of their connection hit her again. He almost looked like he had forgotten she was there and his courage impressed her, no one openly stared at Star in front of David, at least not if they wanted to live to tell about it. She wanted to leave, to just take his hand and pull him out of the cave entrance with her. She wanted to scream at him to run but she couldn’t. One thing she did know for sure was now Michael needed saving just as much as she did.

‘Feeding time! Come and get it boys.’ Marko’s voice bellowed through the cave and she looked over towards him as he walked the food over to the boys.

‘Chinese. Good choice.’ David smiled as Marko began handing out the cartons of food to the others. She remained behind David and wasn’t offered any food, not that she could have eaten anything the way she was feeling anyways. This whole thing was being dragged out too long for her liking.

‘Guests first.’ David handed over his carton but Michael shook his head.

‘Oh, no.’ Michael said, holding up his hand.

‘You don’t like rice? Tell me Michael, how could a billion Chinese people be wrong? Come on.’ She hoped he wouldn’t take it, suspecting what David was about to do but he did. David was very convincing. Michael took his first mouthful before David spoke again. ‘How those maggots?’ David asked and she knew the game had begun.

‘Huh?’ Michael looked confused and she instantly felt pity for him.

‘Maggots Michael. You’re eating maggots, how do they taste?’ She watched as Michael looked down at his food and spat it out, dropping the carton on the floor and picking out the rest of the rice from his teeth while the boys all laughed at him.

‘Leave him alone.’ She couldn’t help herself and she spoke up for poor Michael and to her surprise, she got no response from anyone, not even David. Instead, he stopped laughing and turned his head slightly like he’d taken what she’d said on board.

‘Sorry about that. No hard feelings though?’ Did David just apologise?

‘No.’ Michael shook his head, trying to understand what was going on here.

‘Why don’t you try some noodles?’ David offered his carton to Michael and Michael looked at the noodles.

‘They’re worms.’ He said closing his eyes and David’s game continued.

‘What do you mean ‘they’re worms?’’ David was really messing with Michael’s head and it scared her. He never put this much energy into anyone like this without an ulterior motive. He grabbed some noodles with his chopsticks and ate them in front of Michael.

‘Don’t eat…’ Michael freaked out and tried to stop him.

‘They’re only noodles Michael.’ David teased him and she watched sadly as Michael snatched back the carton to see for himself.

‘Ah-hahaha! Nice worms.’ Paul said and the boys all laughed at him again.

‘That’s enough.’ Again, she spoke out against what David was doing. If he was going to kill him, he should just do it and stop toying with him.

‘Ah, chill out girl.’ Paul said to her but she paid him no mind and kept her eyes on Michael and David, when she saw David whisper something to Marko and then Marko walk over and get David’s bottle. The bottle of his blood. She glanced back to Michael and she knew she had to move, she had to try and stop this from happening. This was worse than David killing him. She positioned herself next to Michael and looked nervously from Michael to David disbelieving what she was seeing, David could not actually be going to do this, this was crazy and getting way out of hand. Marko handed the bottle to David and he pulled the cork and, as he drank from it, she was sure she was shaking her heart was beating so hard.

‘Drink some of this Michael. Be one of us.’ She couldn’t believe he said it, he was going to turn him! Michael stood up and stepped towards David taking the bottle and she quickly stood behind him. The boys all began chanting his name, everything was happening way too fast for her and it was all culminating into the nightmare unfolding before her eyes. Laddie jumped up from his seat next to Dwayne and came over and stood next to Star.

‘Don’t. You don’t have to Michael.’ She said over his shoulder.

‘Michael.’ David said, countering her, reminding her it was his decision and that he had the power.

‘It’s blood.’ Star knew she was going to be in trouble as soon as she said it but she wasn’t going to stand by and watch this happen without doing something, no matter the consequence. Why was David doing this?

‘Yeah, sure. Blood.’ David’s tricks had worked and Michael didn’t believe her then, to her horror, Michael took a large drink of the blood. She took Laddie’s hand and began backing away from all of them.

‘Bravo!’ David cheered, clapping his gloved hands. He had won and taken Michael from her. Michael was now one of his own. The boys all began congratulating him and the party really started. She turned away and walked to her bed, the boys dancing and celebrating Michael’s successful initiation behind her, and she sat with her back to them.

‘What’s happening?’ Laddie asked her, an innocent confusion evident in his eyes.

‘They’re just having a party.’ She lied to him again. ‘Come on, climb into bed.’

‘Can I sit here with you first? I don’t want to go to bed yet.’ He shook his hair out of his eyes and leaned in closer to her. She kissed the top of his head then reached over, grabbing one of his comics, and handed it to him. Why was David allowing this? Why would he want Michael to be one of them? He didn’t even know Michael and something about this was very, very wrong. Within an hour Laddie had fallen asleep and she sat watching solemnly as Michael drank more from the bottle, enjoying the boys’ acceptance and attention and sharing more smokes with them. Although David now had him, she still wanted to somehow save him from the monsters that now surrounded him. She was still so attracted to him and she hoped Michael had the strength to get away from him, to defy David’s power, but she knew nobody had that amount of strength, not her and not Michael. She was perplexed that all the boys seemingly accepted Michael with no questions asked and were acting like they’d known him for months and he was so wrapped up with the boys that she seemed to be oblivious to him now.

‘Come on Michael.’ She heard Marko say, and she turned to see Paul, Marko and Dwayne stand up, all except David who sat motionless in his chair watching her.

‘Where are we going?’ She looked at Michael as he looked around at the boys unsure of what was going on.

‘We’re going out.’ Paul pulled him to his feet and Star began to inwardly panic. Where were they taking him? Were they going to kill him?

‘But I wanna stay…’ Michael looked over at her and her heart jumped but the boys continued to lead him out of the cave. She looked down once he was gone and silently prayed he was going to be OK, but knowing these boys all too well, she knew the chances of that were extremely low. She heard David move and she looked up at to see him walking towards her and she instantly felt the fear grow inside her. There was no comfort in the way he was looking at her and she knew some sort of punishment was coming her way.


	9. Falling For Someone Else - David's POV

The fear poured from her core as he continued to walk around to the front of her curtains, watching her. He commanded her gaze, she didn’t want to maintain it and he knew it, but he gave her no choice.

‘You like him? Have a crush? A soft spot… or a wet spot… for him?’ He saw her cheeks flush at his comment and he saw the truth that he already knew. She did like him. She wanted him, she wanted to kiss him and maybe fuck him. She wanted to protect him from David and confirmation of that ignited the jealous anger within him. He came to a halt three feet in front of her and prompted her for a response. ‘Star?’ She attempted to look away but there was no way he was going to let her get out of this one. ‘You think you can speak up for him and protect him from me? That you can disclose our secret to someone again? Don’t you remember what happened last time you did that?’ She minutely nodded her head. ‘Well, it looks like you need a reminder.’ He said looking at Laddie.

‘No, please no.’ She said the panic rising in her voice as she stood up in a show of protection over the boy and it made him laugh. He stepped towards her and she stepped back in fear, and he walked past her and over to Laddie, tracing his index finger up the boys throat and his long fingernail under his chin. He nicked the boys skin and a trail of blood spots appeared and he watched her physical reaction to him as she began to tremble.

‘If you ever say anything about drinking blood or what we are to anybody, including your new boyfriend, again, I’ll slit his throat and make you watch him bleed out.’ He turned to face her. ‘This is your last chance.’ He saw the tears welling up in her eyes and his patience hit rock bottom. ‘Oh, save me the cry baby shit Star, you know the deal and what we are. I’ve had enough of this. I’ll do what I want with him, and with you.’ He rolled his eyes as he spun around to walk away, pulling out a cigarette from his jacket and searching around for his lighter. He shot up to a small cave overlooking a sliver of the ocean and he calmed himself down with his cigarette and as he inhaled and exhaled the smoke, he felt a sense of calm come over him. No matter how much Star wanted Michael, he was David’s now, they both were, and he would use each to torture the other until either she killed him or Max killed her. Both prospects seemed rather appealing to him right now. He felt like he was going round and round with Star, threatening her but not following through. As frustrated and annoyed and disinterested as he had become with her, he still couldn’t let her go. She was still his Star, his prized diamond and the only sparkle of beauty in the blackness of his existence. He felt the closest thing to love for her that he’d ever felt about anyone. He wasn’t going to allow Max to do anything to her, nor did he really want the monster within him to do anything to her either but he did, however, want her monster to come out and play with his and he was fucked off that it was taking so long. And now there was Michael. Suddenly Dwayne appeared and landed next to him, sparking a joint and bringing him back from the recesses of his brain to the reality of the cave.

‘Drop him off?’ David asked a little too casually.

‘Mmm-hmm.’ Dwayne answered, the joint still in his mouth.

‘Where does he live?’ David asked.

‘Out at Rancho Palos Verdes’ Dwayne said, his lungs full of smoke and he passed him over the spliff. David took it and inhaled deeply watching the dark water lap against the rocks.

‘Fucking Hicksville. Where are the other two?’

‘Marko accidentally, deliberately bumped into Maria and Paul practically drove into the cast of belly dancers down on the Boardwalk.’ David’s lip curled up into a half smile.

‘What about you?’

‘I wanted to make sure the kid was alright.’ Dwayne paused, fully alluding to the mark on his neck but David didn’t bite so he tried another tact. ‘What’s going on with her and Michael?’ He asked taking another hit, his head now getting fuzzy.

‘Nothing.’ David shut any hint of that conversation down. ‘Michael is Max’s toy, not Star’s.’ There was an edge to David’s voice which told Dwayne that it was a sore subject and to leave it alone. David’s resentment of Max for bringing Michael into their world was palpable, he was having enough problems with Star as it was without her crush now being one of them. David wasn’t going to make any of this easy for Max or his new love interest, Michael’s mommy.

The next night David left Star at the cave and led the boys down near the video store and parked up near the water.

‘Ahhh… why are we down here?’ Paul asked, pulling up next to David.

‘Why? Scared?’ Marko teased him.

‘Fuck yeah, Max scares the shit out of me. I don’t wanna piss that dude off any more than I already do.’ Paul admitted. Dwayne pulled up shortly after, having dropped Laddie off at the comic book store on the Boardwalk for a while. David was still hiding the boy from Max.

‘Don’t worry Paul, we’re not here for Max. Follow me.’ David said eyeing up Max’s lady love as she exited the building. David took off riding over to her and circling his bike around her, the boys following and creating a complete circle around her in the parking lot. At first she smiled at them, thinking it was fun but as they continued to trap her in their circle of death, the boys began taunting her, swerving in too close and laughing at her and she quickly became scared. Just what David wanted, for her to get a good dose of intimidation, but then as David rode around once more a pair of headlights shone at him and he looked up to see a red corvette pulling into the parking lot. David’s face changed when he realised it was Max and he rode off without talking to him and the boys followed him. David rode back down towards the Boardwalk, stopping at a small hole in the wall bar to have a drink.

‘Marko, get us some beers.’ David ordered, veering over to a booth and he sat facing the door, half expecting an irate Max to appear. He hadn’t meant for Max to see him tonight, he’d fucked up and knew Max would eventually be on his case over it.

‘Are we in shit?’ Paul asked him and Dwayne looked at his brother nodding.

‘Fuck him.’ David retorted. ‘I’m sick of him telling us what to do. Time for us to leave old Max behind boys.’ Marko put down the beers and David picked one up and drank it immediately.

‘How we gonna do that?’ Paul asked. ‘He’s everywhere and knows everything.’ Paul drank his beer like nobody’s business, obviously nervous of the repercussions that would come from what David was saying. Happy go lucky Paul wasn’t so happy defying his elder.

‘Leave that up to me.’ David said as he picked his teeth with a toothpick and looked around his dingy surroundings.

‘Does that mean I can have Maria?’ Marko smiled cheekily and Paul nudged his arm laughing.

‘Marko, that means we can have whatever and whoever we want.’ Dwayne sat there and drank his beer thinking of what David wanted to do. It wouldn’t be easy, but nothing David really wanted to do was ever easy. Max owned David, he owned all of them, but he controlled David in much the same way David controlled Star and, like Star, Max wasn’t going to freely let David go. ‘Dwayne, go get the little shit and meet us back at the Bluff.’ David told him and he skulled his beer back, got up and left. David wanted to get back and deal with Star before he was inevitably summoned to Max’s presence.

The boys got back to the cave and half way down the stairs, Dwayne lit one of his sticks he used to light the barrels with and walked with it ahead of the others. He walked into the cave entrance and abruptly stopped without actually going down into the cave. The boys piled in after him and they all stopped in the same spot once they were greeted with the same sight as Dwayne was. Star and Michael were kissing. The whole mood changed and Marko brought his hand to his mouth, eagerly awaiting David’s reaction while both Paul and Dwayne looked at each other in silent dismay. What the fuck was she doing? David was genuinely surprised, it took a lot to surprise David, and he almost laughed but he found nothing funny about the scene playing out in front of him. Fuck, Max was right, it was just one thing after another with her. Suddenly they stopped kissing and looked up at their audience and Star instantly pulled back and away from Michael, her face visibly dropping with the realisation she’d been caught. Michael, however, stood there as cunt struck as any man could get.

‘Not interrupting anything, I hope?’ David’s question was sarcastically leading yet rhetorical and he could practically see her mind scrambling as she looked at him and the boys behind him. He stepped down onto the cave floor and he stared directly into her soul as he walked between Michael and her, shoving Michael aside with his shoulder. Her eyes followed his and her anxiety filled the room.

'I just pierced his ear for him.’ She said apprehensively and David’s eyes flicked over to the gold coin dangling from Michael’s ear then back to her. You could cut the tension with a knife.

‘And piercing ears involves your tongue in his mouth now, does it?’ David slated her excuse. He was ready to rip both of their heads off regardless of what Max wanted. ‘Funny, I don’t remember you doing mine that way. Dwayne, she do it that way with you?’ Dwayne had moved down and now stood next to Michael shaking his head and with the look on Michael’s face, Dwayne was doing a fine job of making the kid feel more than a little uncomfortable.

‘What about yours Paul?’ Paul remained standing in the entrance way with Marko to inhibit any kind of escape.

‘Nah bro, not mine.’ Paul chuckled.

‘No. You must be special Michael. Is Michael special Star?’ David pushed her harder and all their eyes were on her, including Michael’s. He watched her look over to Michael and quickly back at him and she shook her head but he saw more in her eyes than her gesture portrayed. David maintained her eye contact and calmly impressed upon her exactly how much trouble she was really in but all he could do right now was taunt her while Michael was still there and he’d deal to her once he’d dealt with Michael. That’s when he thought of the tracks, they hadn’t played out on the tracks in over a year and it was time to scare the shit out of the kid. ‘I’ll deal with you later.’ He glared at her as he silently told her. ‘Well… sorry to break up this little party but we’ve got to go Michael. We’re going someplace.’ He watched as they looked at each other. ‘Oh don’t worry,’ David said, ‘she’ll be here if you come back.’ His eyes slid to hers and he laughed at her expression and he left. ‘We’re going to the tracks.’ David projected to the boys as they exited the cave and their collective energy picked up. They all mounted their engines and Paul enthusiastically led the pack out to the bridge. The fog was thick as they arrived and it made for the perfect atmosphere for David to execute his plan. They parked their bikes off to the side of the lines and shut them off. They got off and walked along the tracks and David looked around approving of his surroundings and his heart thumped in, what he assumed to be, semi excitement. ‘Perfect timing.’

‘What’s going on?’ Michael innocently asked, confused as to what they were doing there.

‘Michael wants to know what’s going on.’ The boys laughed at David’s comment, adding to Michael’s confusion. ‘Marko, what’s going on?’

‘I don’t know. What’s going on Paul?’

‘Wait a minute, who wants to know?’ Paul stumbled along the railway trestle, playing the game.

‘Michael wants to know!’ Dwayne answered him and Paul laughed. David put his ever domineering arm around Michael’s shoulders and guided him to where he wanted him to be.

‘I think we should let Michael know what’s going on.’ David said staring at him.

‘Yeah…’ Paul agreed and David spun Michael around to look at Marko.

‘Marko?’ They stood and stared at Marko.

‘Good night Michael.’ Marko said waving at him and he stepped off the bridge and David watched with glee and laughed at Michael’s shocked expression.

‘Bottoms up man.’ Paul clicked his fingers and howled like a wolf as he followed Marko down. Dwayne was next and, being the man of little words he was, he just pointed at Michael and disappeared. David turned to face Michael.

‘Come with us Michael.’ He coerced him then he took his step off the edge. They all hung onto the underside of the bridge and Michael’s face soon appeared looking down at them. Paul and Marko were trying to kick each other and they were all hooting and laughing. This was a game they loved to play.

‘Hey Michael!’ Paul yelled.

‘Michael Emerson! Come on down!’ David laughed, knowing Michael couldn’t resist proving he was as brave as they were and could do anything they could and, sure enough, he did.

‘Way to go Michael!’ Marko yelled and Dwayne cheered him on.

‘Welcome aboard Michael!’ Paul taunted him laughing, knowing what was coming, as both he and Dwayne swung from one hand to the other.

‘Fun huh?’ David’s tone was dark as the train was heard above them.

‘How do you like it?!’ Paul screamed just as the trains horn drowned out almost all of their noise. David faced Michael as he hung and he looked up and smiled as the train began to rumble above them and, as if on cue, Michael began to panic.

‘Hold on!’ David yelled at Michael.

‘Jesus Christ!’ Michael was totally freaking out and Paul looked over at him laughing, the force of the train beginning to rock him roughly backwards.

‘Yeah…’ Paul laughed and he let go.

‘JESUS CHRIST!’ Michael looked on in horror as Paul fell out of sight and into the mist below.

‘Don’t be scared Michael!’ Marko yelled before he too dropped off the bridge. Dwayne was hanging on with one arm now and he didn’t address Michael as he let go, only he more floated down into the white abyss leaving David with Michael.

‘Michael! You’re one of us! Let go!’ David yelled to him.

‘I’ll do what?!’ Michael was incredulous and he looked at David like he was crazy.

‘You are one of us Michael!’ David repeated.

‘Wha?’ Michael mouthed and David took a deep breath in and silently let go.

‘DAVID!!’ Michael screamed as David was swallowed by the mist below him and he was left all alone. David landed just down from the bridge in the dry river bed next to the boys, who were all hollering for Michael to drop. David joined them by projecting into Michael’s mind saying his name over and over again and laughing at him. The train had now gone yet Michael still hung there and this surprised David, but then he saw him fall. He yelled and screamed as he dropped like a stone and the boys went quiet watching to see what David was going to do. David just wanted to let him fall, to watch him explode as he hit the ground but suddenly Max was in his head.

‘You let him hit the ground, you’ll find Star’s head on the lobby desk in your cave, then you’ll be next.’ Little did Max know that David was as pissed with her as much as he was with Michael, but he did know that she was the one person David would protect and David took off. He flew to intercept the falling body like a dark superman and caught him in his arms and Michael had passed out. He off loaded him to Marko and told him to take him home, which Marko did, while he and the other boys flew back up to get their bikes. The sun wasn’t far off and they needed to get back so David told Marko they’d meet him back at the cave and they all headed off. The boys arrived back and, upon entering the cave, David looked over at Star’s bed and he locked eyes with her for a few seconds but he was too tired and realised he wasn’t in the mood to confront her tonight. She could wait in fear for her come-uppance until tomorrow night and he continued to walk out the back with Paul and Dwayne following him. He hung upside down thinking of Max and of his plans for Michael and it dawned on him that Michael could be David’s way out. Once Michael and his brother were in the ‘family,’ Max would become enamoured with them and David and his boys would fall out of favour. This could actually work for him. He heard Marko come in and hook up next to him and David closed his eyes.


	10. Falling For Someone Else - Star's POV

Star watched warily as David continued to walk around and in front of her, his cold blue eyes penetrating her like two daggers. The silence was deafening and the longer it lasted, the more unbearable it became until finally he spoke.

‘You like him? Have a crush on him? A soft spot… or a wet spot…for him?’ He said his derogatory comment, embarrassing her. He stopped right in front of her and he raised his eyebrow at her. ‘Star?’ She didn’t know what to say, lying to him would just make things worse but admitting it wouldn’t make it any better. She tried avoiding his stare but he caught her and drew her attention back to him. ‘You think you can stick up for him and protect him from me? You think you can disclose our secret again? Don’t you remember what happened last time you did that?’ She nodded. ‘Well, it looks like you need a reminder.’ He looked over at Laddie and she felt sick.

‘No, please no.’ She said standing up in between the two of them and he laughed at her, mocking her.

He stepped towards her and she backed up abruptly and he brushed past her and over to Laddie. She watched him run his long fingernail up Laddie’s throat and under his chin, a line of blood appearing on the boy’s soft white skin, but she was too scared to move, she could barely breathe. ‘If you ever say anything about drinking blood or what we are to anybody, including your new boyfriend, again, I’ll slit his throat and make you watch him bleed out. This is your last chance.’ He looked down at her, pure evil and malice in his eyes and she knew he was serious. She had no idea how she was going to get out of this one and she was scared, really scared of David. She knew his tolerance of her was paper thin and for her to ignore or fail this directive was going to be the end for her. Her eyes began to water and it was the worst time for her to crack. ‘Oh, save me the cry baby shit Star, you know the deal and what we are. I’ve had enough of this. I’ll do what I want with him, and with you.’ David rolled his eyes, turned and walked away out the back of the cave, leaving her to her own devices and she cried. Fear had replaced any remnant of love she had for him, all she felt now was fear and powerlessness. Dwayne jumped back down into the cave and she quickly wiped the tears from her eyes, but not quick enough for him not to notice and he walked over towards her. He looked at her for a second and then looked down at Laddie and, seeing the thin slice under his chin, his eyes flicked back up to her and her eyes teared up again. Dwayne turned and took off without saying anything and she lay down next to Laddie, curling into a ball. It was bad enough David and Dwayne had seen her cry, the last thing she needed was for the other two to witness it too.

The next night David left her alone at the cave and he and the boys had gone out without telling her where they were going, not that he really ever told her where he was going or when he’d return, he just told her to stay put. She sat on her bed for a while thinking about what David had said to her the previous night and how stupid she’d been. She knew better than to challenge David but now the thought of him killing Laddie or doing to Michael what she’d seen him do to the cop had her paralyzed in fear. She couldn’t be at fault and let anything like that ever happen again, she just had to keep quiet and go along with whatever David wanted. She still couldn’t work out why David wanted Michael to join them though, it was like there was a deeper reason but she wasn’t sure even the other boys knew what it was. Something just didn’t feel right. She heard someone coming down into the cave and she assumed it was David back again but when she looked up she saw Michael walking in.

‘Star?’ He looked as good to her as he had last night on the Boardwalk.

‘Hi Michael.’ She said and she watched him walk over to her.

‘Where are the boys?’ He asked looking around.

‘They’re out.’ She said quietly.

‘Oh… So you’re here on your own?’ He asked, a small smile appearing on his face and she couldn’t help but nod and smile back at him. ‘Well… I was wondering if you were still keen on piercing my ear for me.’ He said, a flirtatious look in his eyes.

‘Sure. Sit down.’ She told him, motioning to the floor and he sat as she collected her stuff. ‘Do you have an earring?’

'Ah, no.’ He said looking a little embarrassed he’d forgotten the main item.

‘It’s OK. I have one spare.’ She said digging around in her small jewelry box and fishing out a small gold dime attached to a hook. ‘Will this do?’ She spun around and held it up for his approval.

‘That is perfect.’ He said and she kneeled down beside him and prepared her needle.

‘Are you ready?’ She hesitated before pressing the needle into his skin and he nodded but she could tell he was nervous as she pushed the small steel rod through his ear lobe.

‘Ouch!’ He complained.

‘Don’t be a baby. That didn’t hurt and you know it.’ He went to touch it as soon as she’d pierced it but not before she’d completed the procedure and she batted his hand away so she could slide the hook into the new hole. She smelled it before she saw it but once she did, she tried not to stare at the small drop of blood she’d made. She sat back against the wall on the floor and watched him stand up and feel his new adornment.

‘All right.’ He smiled. ‘Now those guys don’t have anything on me.’ He was pleased but his comment made her inwardly cringe. She had a horrible feeling she was just helping him become even more like one of them, he had no idea who he was dealing with and it scared her. She placed her instruments back into her small jewellery box and he crouched down beside her. ‘You know, I wouldn’t have given my mom such a hard time about moving here if I’d known I was going to meet you.’ Star grimaced and looked down at the word mother.

‘I haven’t seen my mother in years. She died.’

‘What about your dad?’ Michael asked.

‘I used to… fight… with him all the time. Then I just got fed up and ran away.’ She wanted to tell him the truth but she was in enough trouble with David as it was. ‘Now Laddie and the boys are my family.’ She saw him look down and his expression told her there was something else on his mind. He paused and stood up, really considering his next question before he spoke.

‘You and David…’ She dreaded what he was going to say next. ‘You seem very in tune with each other. That is, you seem very close…’ She didn’t know what to say. She’d been warned not to tell people that she was single, that she was David’s but she didn’t want to scare Michael away or tell him she was out of his reach. She stood up and took his hand, squeezing it tight.

‘David and I aren’t close, we used to be but not so much now. David and the boys have secrets, things they never tell me, things I don’t want to know.’ She wanted to end this conversation, David was the last person she wanted to talk about with Michael.

‘Does your real family know you are OK?’ She looked in his eyes and she could see he genuinely cared about her, there was nothing fake about him and he was concerned for her wellbeing. She hadn’t had someone be so genuine towards her in a long time and he made her feel almost safe when she was around him.

‘My dad died last year too.’ She looked down sadly and Michael drew her to him and she let him. He hugged her tight as if he was trying to put all her broken pieces back together but he had no idea exactly how broken she truly was. He pulled away slightly and she looked up at him and he kissed her. His lips were soft and warm and her initial hesitation melted away and she really enjoyed the embrace. David was so cold and harsh when he made her kiss him but Michael was so human and she realised it was what she’d been longing for. They kissed the most passionate kiss she had had in what felt like years, his left hand holding the back of her head and his right hand was on the small of her back as he got more and more into the kiss. Her head was spinning and she put her head back and his mouth found its way down onto her neck and his tongue licked her skin all the way up to her ear lobe before it slid back onto her mouth again as her hands ran through his long hair. She had no idea how long they’d been kissing when suddenly she sensed they were being watched and she broke from him to see all of the boys lined up just inside the entrance of the cave watching the show they’d been putting on. She backed out of Michaels arms and stood a couple of feet away from him. How long had they been there? Her heart thumped sickeningly in her chest as she was compounded by the collective stares of the boys until she looked at David and her chest instantly froze up and she felt like she couldn’t breathe.

‘Not interrupting anything, I hope?’ David’s voice sounded like nails on a chalk board to her and sent shards of ice running through her veins. She was terrified at what David was going to do to him now, and to her later. She looked over at the other boys and their faces were a mixture of caution and interest stained with disbelief that she’d had the balls to do this. David walked towards her, staring hard into her eyes and walked in between the two of them pushing Michael further away from her and she felt like she had to say something.

‘I just pierced his ear for him.’ She said nervously, motioning to Michael’s ear.

‘And piercing ears involves your tongue in his mouth now, does it?’ David spat. ‘Funny, I don’t remember you doing mine that way.’ She instantly regretted saying anything now. ‘Dwayne, she do it that way with you?’ Dwayne now stood a little too close to Michael and he shook his head, staring at him with his stance wide and his hands behind his back.

‘What about yours Paul?’

‘Nah bro, not mine.’ Paul backed his brother and they were all making her feel worse.

‘No. You must be special Michael. Is Michael special Star?’ She looked from David to Michael hoping that Michael couldn’t see through her weak exterior and then she looked back at David and shook her head. David held her gaze and it didn’t take much for her to see how angry he was with her. ‘I’ll deal with you later.’ His smooth deep voice echoed in her head and her heart stopped. ‘Well… sorry to break up this little party but we’ve got to go Michael. We’re going someplace.’ She looked over at Michael, the colour draining from her face and he looked back at her. ‘Oh don’t worry,’ David chided, ‘she’ll be here if you come back.’ He looked over at her and laughed as he led the boys back out of the cave and Michael gave her a weak smile as he followed them out. If? Did David just say if? Oh God, was there a chance she would never see Michael again? What was she thinking, of course there was, this was David she was dealing with. Within a short amount of time she heard their bikes rev up and get quieter as they rode off into the distance and suddenly she became aware Laddie was next to her.

‘You like him don’t you?’ A little voice asked her.

‘Yeah, I do.’ She admitted, still staring out the cave entrance.

‘Don’t like him too much. David won’t like that.’ She looked down and Laddie was looking up at her, a worried look on his face and it gave her knot in her stomach.

‘I know.’ She didn’t know what else to say. She didn’t want to tell him her hopes in case it would get his hopes up or, even worse, he might tell Dwayne.

‘Star, I like it here and I love you and Dwayne but will I ever get to go home?’ It was like he had read her mind and his question disturbed her a little but it didn’t really surprise her, especially the way David had been the last few weeks. She knelt down beside him and pulled him to her and hugged him.

‘I don’t know.’ She wasn’t sure she really knew anything anymore. ‘But please don’t ask any of the boys, it will just make them angry. I promise I will get us out of here somehow.’ The boys had been gone a while and the draw of sleep was effecting both Star and Laddie, so she put him to bed and she lay on her bed wrapped in her shawl. Her thoughts were tainted with fear over what they were doing to poor Michael and what David would do to her once they returned and she couldn’t sleep. She didn’t know how long she’d laid there but when the boys stepped, almost quietly, into the cave, her eyes darted up and directly into the cold blue she knew all too well. He watched her but he kept walking and he disappeared out the back without saying anything to her, the other two following. She didn’t understand, why didn’t he yell at her or threaten her? His silence was worse than a reaction, at least then it was over. Her anxiety would be through the roof by the next night. Marko walked in a little later and she looked up at him and he halted his step to look at her and smile at her, a smile that left her cold and wondering if Michael was still alive. Then he left to go to sleep and she buried her face in her thin pillow.


	11. Insubordination - David's POV

‘Don’t you fucking dare go near Lucy again. If you do, I’ll replace the whole lot of you!’ Max’s voice boomed into David’s consciousness sounding like he was in the cave with him and his eyes shot open. Fine, if he couldn’t fuck with Lucy, he would fuck with the man himself, but first he’d fuck with Michael again. Max wasn’t going to control David anymore, not completely anyways. He dropped down, surprised the boys weren’t woken by Max’s voice and he shot out of his cave, still with the twisted gut from seeing Star and Michael kiss the night before. He looked over at Star, all serene and innocent in sleep and his need to prove his ownership and control over her took over him again. He would remind her a million times in a million different ways nightly if that’s what it took for her to submit to him forever. He had risked too much for her to have her just be taken away by some mortal fucker that Max has a passing interest in. He approached her and saw her eyes moving beneath her lids, she was in REM sleep and she was dreaming. She suddenly rolled onto her back and her leg was exposed from under her light shawl which surrounded her and he looked at her creamy pale skin. He couldn’t help himself and he ran his fingers along her thigh and she felt so smooth and soft that he slid his hand a little further up and despite still being asleep, she moved her leg sideways a bit, exposing more flesh to him. He looked up at her face to see her part her lips and he kept sliding his hand up and found the folds of her pussy and felt she was wet, giving him a twinge in his groin. He found her clit and slowly began to massage it with his fingertip as he watched her for any sign of her awakening and he heard a slight moan and she slowly opened her auburn eyes. She gasped a little as those eyes stared straight into his and there they stayed as he slid his fingers down and inside her then halfway out and back in deeper.

‘Expecting someone else?’ He asked her. He didn’t blink as he continued to finger her and he smiled as she began to buck her hips against his hand, eventually closing her eyes again and he was flooded with satisfaction over the confirmation he had her. She reopened her eyes and he thought he saw a flash of humility before he bought her to a wordless, body shaking orgasm which left her clutching his arm as she pulsated. He had maintained his cool demeanour the whole time and she now looked at him, her face a mixture of confusion and submissiveness while he was filled with the superiority he’d desired and he withdrew his hand.

‘Who do you belong to?’ He asked her and she looked away from him. ‘Who do you belong to Star?’ He repeated in a more domineering tone of voice making her answer him.

'You David. I belong to you.’ She said, still a little out of breath.

‘Yeah you do. Don’t you ever forget it.’ He smiled down at her. ‘Now, I want you to kill Michael. Tonight. He will be your first. Say it.’ She didn’t respond to him and kept her eyes averted so he quickly shoved his hand around her throat. ‘Say it!’ He repeated and he saw the fear in her eyes when she finally looked up at him.

‘He will be my first.’ She said almost inaudibly and he released his grasp and stroked her cheek.

‘You’ll do as I say Star. If you think you lost everything when I killed your father and brother that will pale in comparison to what I’ll take from you if you don’t do it this time. I’m sick of this shit Star.’ He stood and walked off just as Marko and Paul came out.

‘What’s going on?’ Paul asked yawning and Dwayne appeared pulling out two cigarettes and throwing one at David.

‘We’re going to go stir some more shit Paul.’ David smiled before lighting his stick.

‘Yeah,’ Paul nodded, ‘my favourite past time.’ Paul’s eyes lit up with the thought.

‘Stay here.’ He turned his head and demanded of Star, who was now sitting on her bed looking sullen and didn’t answer him, then he led the boys out of the cave.

'Where are we going?’ Marko enquired as they dropped out of the sky next to their bikes.

‘We’re going to visit our new recruit.’ David answered, his voice flat.

‘You OK?’ Dwayne asked him referring to last night, his intuition picking up on David’s discomfort.

‘I’m fine.’ David lied as he got on his bike. As much as he wanted to be, he wasn’t fine with what was going on. Nowhere near it and the only thing that was going to make him feel better was to get some of his frustration out on the two who were the cause of his distress. ‘Rancho Palos Verdes. Marko, lead the way.’ David said kick-starting his bike to life.

They arrived about half an hour later and pulled up just down from the house. There were no cars in the driveway, only Michael’s bike which was parked out the front. He was home alone. ‘Right boys.’ David revved up his bike and flicked his light on high beam as he roared up the drive and the boys all followed his lead. They laughed and taunted Michael the same way they had on the bridge while they rode their bikes back and forth and whipped the winds up around the house. Michael’s silhouette appeared in the window along with a smaller person’s and he was peering through the blinds. David also permeated Michael’s brain and repeated his name over and over again, laughing at him. David could feel his fear and got the confirmation he’d gotten to Michael and as quickly as the boys had appeared, they disappeared and left the property silent.

‘Woo! He was shit scared!’ Paul made the other boys laugh and the mood almost lightened. Fucking with Michael’s head had made David feel better, he knew his methods of retribution were limited because of Max but what he’d done, coupled with the effects of the blood on Michael, had to have Michael’s head exploding as to what was happening to him and he was sure to seek Star out for some sort of explanation and probably comfort. David was slightly conflicted about that but Star was going to have to be with Michael in order to kill him. He was done with Michael and he put both him and Star out of his head and began thinking of his next move.

‘Come on, we’re going into town.’ David said pulling away and riding the forty minutes into the main district of Santa Carla, he needed a prop for what he had in mind next.

‘Are we really doing this?’ Paul said standing on the sidewalk. Marko smiled at his brother as David and Dwayne got off their bikes.

‘You’re a pussy.’ Dwayne said walking past him and Marko laughed again as he turned to walk inside the store after him. Paul was funny, nothing phased him, like absolutely nothing, except for Max. He was more confident around him when David was there because David took all the heat but the thought of Max confronting him alone made him feel decidedly uncomfortable.

‘What are we looking for?’ Marko asked as they made their way down an isle filled with fairy and angel costumes.

‘Something that will mess with his head, that will make him feel like he’s being watched and that someone knows.’ David wandered further down. ‘Something that will fuck him off.’

‘What about this? We’ll put Star in this and we’ll send her off to meet him.’ Paul held up a sexy Nun’s Halloween outfit and both David and Marko turned around to look at him stony faced.

‘I said fuck him off not fuck me off. I’m fucked off enough as it is.’ Dwayne pulled the dress out of Paul’s hands and chucked it back on the shelf. They turned into the next isle and were surrounded by the dark Halloween costumes. The Grim Reapers sickles, ghosts sheets and vampire capes and David slowed down. This was the shit he was looking for and his eyes roamed over the fake blood and plastic fangs and he creased his eye brows. If only the people who wore this shit knew what it was really like to be a killer. Paul threw a kite with a vampire bat on the back of it at Marko but Marko dodged it and David caught it and looked at it. ‘This is perfect.’ David said holding onto it and he strode out the door. The guy behind the counter stood up to stop him but one look from Marko had him sitting back down and staying quiet and the boys all left the store. They jumped back on their bikes and rode to Max’s apartment but Max wasn’t there so they went down to stalk Max’s video store but found the place was dark and all locked up and David got annoyed. It was late and there were only a few places Max would be, he was very much a creature of habit and David knew all too well his haunts. He also knew Max was opening a store up in Los Gatos and he hoped he wasn’t up there. He thought about where else Max could be, he could be hunting or he could be… Suddenly he knew where Max was. He rode out to the peninsula and parked down the road from the entrance to the last house closest to the cliff face. ‘This is the house of Max’s first victims in Santa Carla. He told me he never occupied a house of a victim.’ David said without any provocation. They saw a pair of headlights coming up the hill and they disappeared out of sight and watched Max’s red corvette drive past them. ‘Apparently he lied.’ He added as he watched Max pull up outside the gate, open it up and begin to walk down the long path. ‘Paul, go throw it at him.’ David told him and they all looked at Paul.

‘Like fuck!’ Paul was incredulous that David had even asked him to do such a thing.

‘Now!’ David demanded and Paul took it and flew off and within a few seconds the kite had collided with Max’s head. Max looked around suspiciously before Marko quickly killed the power to the street lamps and the others all fired up their engines, flicked their lights on high beam and did exactly as they’d done at Michael’s house.

‘David!’ Max’s voice could just be heard in his head above the roar of their engines. ‘David! Cut it out!’ Max growled and David led the boys away down the dirt path. ‘David! What the fuck are you doing?! Get back here!’ Max continued in his head but David sped up and ignored him He rode straight to Grapes, another wave of satisfaction washing over him. Now he just needed to get out of it and release some other urges he had and he would call it a night.

‘What ya got Paul?’ David asked him just after they entered the dark club. It was about an hour before closing and most of the remaining patrons were wasted already so they weren’t overly discreet about taking whatever Paul had on him.

‘What do you want? The shelves are stocked.’ Paul popped a pill in his mouth smiling. Dwayne held out his hand and Paul dropped one in his palm while Marko and David looked at each other.

‘Yeah, alright.’ David said and he was handed his dose and finally Marko took his. The talent was still strong and the boys had their pick of beauties swaying and gyrating in front of them. It didn’t take long for Paul and Dwayne to draw girls like magnets to them and before David knew it, Dwayne disappeared out the door with a curly haired blonde in a tight leather mini skirt and he’d lost sight of Paul then, as he scowered the room, he saw someone he recognised and he nudged Marko’s arm but Marko had already spotted her. Maria was there with her friends, she hadn’t seen them yet but David could feel Marko’s excitement and he looked at him. ‘Go.’ He told him and Marko got up, he didn’t need to be told twice. He pushed his chair back and moved away from the table. ‘Be careful.’ David told him and Marko smiled at him then walked up behind Maria and grabbed her around the waist and lifted her up to a delighted squeal from the girl. David sat there scanning the rest of the room and began to contemplate a cigarette, when he saw a girl with long dark wavy hair standing side on to him in the back of the room. She wore a long dark skirt and a black jacket and David got up and swiftly walked over towards her. What the fuck was Star doing here?! He got closer and she turned to look at him and it was then he realised it wasn’t Star. He had to do a double take to confirm it though because this girl looked like she was her twin only she wasn’t quite as facially delicate.

‘Hi.’ She said to him and she smiled a smile that didn’t belong on his Star.

‘Hello.’ He said and instantly he could tell there was interest from her by the way she was looking at him.

‘I’ve seen you here before, do you come here often?’ She asked him and the question threw him a little. He was going to have to stop coming here.

'No, not often.’ He answered her. ‘You?’

‘Yeah, almost every weekend during summer.’ During summer. She wasn’t a local. Perfect.

'I was just going outside for a cigarette. Coming?’ He asked her, plying her with his influence, not that he needed to. She gave him a look that was pure Star and he almost got goose bumps and he knew he’d found his victim for the night. He could feel the urge to take out all his frustrations both sexual and otherwise on the girl as if she was Star herself and he led her outside, seeing Marko working his magic on Maria as he walked out. They walked down into the dodgiest part of town and he could tell she was nervous as she talked mindless small talk while she walked beside him, but it all meant nothing to him, she spoke far more than Star ever did and she was almost annoying which worked for him. Physically, she was attractive and it made him want to fuck her but personality wise, she was doing his head in and he was more than ready to kill her, if only just to shut her up. He turned down into the dry docks that were void of both people and lights but full of empty boats and she suddenly stopped talking. He kept walking, willing her to follow him and he stopped behind a large launch and beside a large shed.

‘What are we doing here?’ She asked looking at the boats name where the paint was peeling off then she looked at him.

‘Cigarette remember?’ He said holding up his cigarette, putting it in his mouth and climbing up onto the boat, then he leaned over and lifted her up with him. He sat and listened to her blabber on about her friends and whether she was going to go back to school or get a job and all the while he looked around the boat for anything he wanted to take with him and he spotted a large bed inside the main cabin. He continued to smoke his stick while she barely paused for a breath then once he was done, he flicked his butt over the side onto the gravel and he looked at her. She finally stopped speaking and looked back at him and she looked like his Star again and he realised he didn’t want her. He didn’t want to fuck her, he had his own Star waiting for him at his cave who was more beautiful, didn’t talk his ear off, knew what he was and accepted him for it. He sat there for a minute then he thought, fuck it, and he grabbed her hand and pulled her into the cabin and fucked her. It was a rough and brutal fuck, probably too rough for her but he didn’t care. It was just what he needed and when he was done, he got dressed and coaxed her outside, morphing and instantly lifting her airborne before she even knew what had happened. He had his hand over her mouth and dragged a clawed hand down her chest and the sweet smell of her blood had him reeling. He took a deep breath and tore his fangs into her jugular and drank mouthfuls of her fresh blood before practically ripping her head off and discarding her inside a vat of liquid fiberglass inside the shed. He headed back around to the nightclub which had now closed and found Dwayne and Paul on the ground next to their bikes laughing together.

‘Hey! Here he is!’ Paul called out.

‘Where’s Marko?’ David asked striding towards them.

‘Don’t know, thought he was with you.’ Paul answered and Dwayne looked up at his brother.

‘He’s with Maria isn’t he?’ Dwayne asked and David nodded making both of the wasters on the ground laugh, which wasn’t hard in their state. They were fucked.

‘Where the fuck are you?’ David projected to Marko but he got no response. ‘Marko!’

‘Yep,’ Marko said, ‘coming.’ Then within ten minutes Marko appeared from around the corner, a smile the size of the Golden Gate Bridge upon his face.

‘Oh yeah!’ Paul hit Dwayne’s arm. ‘He got in! He finally popped his cherry!’ Paul and Dwayne fell about laughing and a sly grin slid across David’s face.

‘About fucking time dude!’ Dwayne added.

‘Shut up.’ Marko told them.

‘Come on boys.’ David said mounting his bike and they rode off to their bush carpark and they flew from where they parked because the sun was mere minutes away from rising. They shot into the cave, one after the other, with David coming up the rear and the boys continued on out the back to their sleeping quarters, except when David flew past Star’s bed, he thought he saw someone lying on her bed with her and he stopped. Had she done it? Was it Michael? A surge of excitement hit him and he came back to check but his dead heart stopped when he saw Michael, not lying dead next to her rather he was in bed spooning her, both of them naked, their clothes strewn all over the floor. The rage he felt was excruciating and his hands were shaking he wanted to react so badly. She hadn’t killed him like he’d told her to, she’d fucked him instead and he actually felt sick. This shit had gone on long enough and he really didn’t give a shit about Max and what he wanted anymore. He involuntarily let out a low growl and Michael stirred at the sound. David shot out the back with a screech and a flap of his jacket, the sun was up and he was tired. Tomorrow. Tomorrow he would deal with both Michael and Star.


	12. Insubordination - Star's POV

_He kissed her, his stubble lightly scratching her chin but it didn’t bother her. She was too caught up in the emotion of it all. His tongue slid against hers with his hands exploring her body and it made her breathing heavier, then his hands went lower and she spread her legs wider to accommodate him. She wanted him, she wanted him to touch her, to fuck her and she ran her hands up under his shirt. His body was firm and she ran her hands across his smooth skin and he slid his fingers over her clit while they kissed harder. Michael was an amazing kisser and she opened her eyes to look at him and she looked straight into the cold blue ice that were David’s eyes and he smiled at her._

She woke up but before she had even opened her eyes, she felt someone touching her, between her legs. She opened her eyes and found herself staring into the same blue eyes from her dream. She jolted a little to see David sitting on her bed beside her, totally calm and watching her.

‘Expecting someone else?’ He asked her but she didn’t answer him and he inserted his fingers inside her and began to rhythmically thrust his hand into her. She didn’t understand what he was doing but it felt so good that she instinctually began to move with him and she closed her eyes. For all David’s shortcomings, he definitely knew what he was doing with a woman. She opened her eyes again and he sat there dead still like he was a statue and gently brought her to a mind numbingly intense climax, with just one hand. Once she had cum, she was overwhelmed with a massive amount of vulnerability and a huge sense of shame and she pulled her skirt back down over her legs, while he sat there looking full of self-satisfaction over what he’d just done to her.

‘Who do you belong to?’ He asked her and she looked down. ‘Who do you belong to Star?’ He repeated in a harsher more serious tone.

‘You David. I belong to you.’ She answered him without looking at him and trying to catch her breath.

‘Yeah you do. Don’t you ever forget it. Now, I want you to kill Michael. Tonight. He will be your first.’ She kept her eyes fixed on the sharp piece of a rock across the other side of the room, wishing she could hit David over the head with it and not let him do anything or make her do anything to Michael. ‘Say it.’ He said and still wouldn’t look at him. Suddenly his hand was squeezing her throat and pressing on her windpipe. ‘Say it!’ She looked up at him to see his eyes had changed into the yellow and red orbs she was so scared of, making her dread the reality of what he had just said.

‘He will be my first.’ She said as low as her voice could go as if it would somehow make it null in void. He took his hand back and he gently stroked her cheek.

‘You’ll do as I say Star. If you think you lost everything when I killed your father and brother that will pale in comparison to what I’ll take from you if you don’t this time. I’m sick of this shit Star.’ He walked off and Marko and Paul appeared from out the back. She sat up pulling her shawl tighter around her shoulders and watched them all get ready to go out. David told her to stay in the cave and the boys all left and she sat there feeling dirty and empty. She didn’t want to kill Michael, she didn’t want to kill anyone, but especially not Michael. He was everything David wasn’t and everything she was sure she wanted, and she now knew she really cared for him.

‘Star, can we go out?’ Laddie asked her and although she didn’t want to go anywhere and had been told not to go anywhere, she knew she was going to have to feed the poor kid something.

‘Yeah, OK. Where would you like to go?’ She asked him.

‘Where have the boys gone?’ He asked her hopeful they could meet up with them.

‘I don’t know Laddie. I think they’re going to be late tonight.’ His face drooped a little at hearing this news and she felt sorry for the kid, he loved Dwayne so much. David had taken him from a loving family and brought him here where he had bonded with Dwayne and, to an extent, Paul and now David was taking them away from him too. David was an asshole, he just didn’t care. David cared about David and she could see that now.

‘Can we go to Skater’s Heaven downtown?’ Star looked at him confused.

‘How do you know where that is?’ She asked him.

‘Dwayne took me there.’ Had he? Where else had these boys taken him?

‘Ahhh… sure. OK.’ She said, grabbing her jacket and beginning to walk out but he didn’t move and she stopped and looked back at him. ‘What’s wrong?’

‘Can we fly there?’ He asked with his head down.

‘Oh Laddie, it’s a little too early.’ She looked down at him.

‘Please?’ He looked up at her, all innocent and she couldn’t help herself and she folded.

‘OK, but we have to be really careful, right?’

‘Yep.’ He said smiling and they left. They flew inland and she was surprised at how adept he’d become at flight. It was almost like it came naturally to him, either that or the boys had been teaching him far more than she knew about. It wouldn’t be David’s or Marko’s doing, this screamed of Dwayne’s and Paul’s handiwork and it scared her how Laddie enjoyed it so much. They arrived and landed down a dark alley a few streets away from the lights of the main drag in downtown Santa Carla. They walked the short distance towards the Skate store where Laddie wanted to go and they passed the store where she’d acquired the slinky red dress David had made her wear to lure the council man in San Francisco a few months back and she stopped. It seemed like a lifetime ago yet at the same time only yesterday and she looked back on herself and wished she’d seen the warning flags that were waving right in front of her back then, but even then it was too late and things had gone too far already. Laddie spotted the skate store and skipped off and she continued slowly down the street. She thought back to that night and how it had felt like David was doing something for somebody else and she still didn’t know who that someone was. The whole thing had seemed like nothing he would have been a part of or even cared about and she still felt like there was something or someone that David was hiding from her, and maybe from the other boys too. Something was off and she wondered if that was why he turned Michael when he would have killed anyone else in a split second whom she had done that with. He didn’t change Michael for her benefit or for his but there was definitely a reason he had done it, it just didn’t make any sense otherwise. She looked up to see Laddie bolting out of the store with a skateboard under his arm and a rather large man coming out after him, grabbing his jacket collar.

‘What the fuck you doing, you little shit?!’ He yelled at him.

‘Hey!’ She called out. ‘Let go of him!’ The man looked up at her.

‘Is he yours?!’ He demanded. ‘He stole the skateboard!’ She walked up to the man.

‘Hey, calm down.’ She said quietly while she commanded strong eye contact with the man. ‘He didn’t mean it. It was a mistake.’ The man let Laddie go while he looked a little mesmerized at her. She reached up and gently touched his cheek, tilting her head. ‘Now, I’d like you to give him the skateboard and forget all about this. OK?’ She told him and he continued to stare at her. ‘You’re going to do this for me.’ She ran her finger along his bottom lip and he smiled back. The man looked like he was drunk and he pat Laddie on the back.

‘See ya around kid.’ He said not taking his eyes off Star and she smiled again and both her and Laddie turned and walked away. Once they were around the corner, Star stopped and looked at him.

‘Why did you do that?’ She asked him annoyed. ‘If they’d have called the cops, we would be in more than a bit of trouble Laddie.’

‘I’m sorry, I’ve seen Dwayne do it.’ He kept his eyes to the ground.

‘Yeah well, you don’t want to be like Dwayne.’ She said and then she realised; the flying, the skateboard, stealing the skateboard… He did want to be like Dwayne, he was trying to be exactly like Dwayne and that’s when she knew no matter how much Dwayne seemed to care for Laddie, he was just as bad for the kid as the rest of them were. A deep sadness came over her, he needed a good role model in life, not these evil monsters. ‘Come on, let’s go get something to eat.’ She put her arm around him and they walked down and across the street to a burger joint and ordered some food. He ate a cheeseburger and some fries while she tried to struggle down a milk shake, which made her feel sick. It had been a long time since David had let her have some blood from him and the effects were grating on her. She didn’t want to believe it, she didn’t want to want the taste of blood in her mouth, taking away the nagging pain in her gut but she did, and being around all these living beings was torturing her. She hurried Laddie along, she had to get out of there and she wanted to get back to the cave and away from everyone. She’d had enough of Santa Carla for tonight.

They flew back up to the Bluff and clambered down into the cave and Laddie instantly began to try some of the tricks that Dwayne did while she took off her jacket, lit one of the barrels and tried to centre herself. She even contemplated drinking some of David’s wine but then she remembered his reaction when Laddie had drunk some and she knew that would make everything worse for her, especially on a night where she was supposed to kill Michael. Oh God, Michael. She’d forgotten about her task for the night. What was she going to do? Was she supposed to go find him? David had told her to stay there so obviously she wasn’t supposed to go to him, was David going to bring Michael to her? How was she going to get around this? Would she even be able to deny the burgeoning urges for blood anyways? She knew she was weak and she knew David knew it too but she also knew she couldn’t kill, definitely not someone who she cared about, Laddie had taught her that, and the way she was feeling about Michael, she knew she couldn’t hurt him either. That made her really think about her true feelings for the boy and she began to think that she had actually fallen for him. The cave had gone quiet and she looked over and Laddie had put himself to bed. She walked over to him and he was laying with his teddy.

‘I’m sorry, I didn’t want to get you in trouble.’ He said yawning and she sat on his bed and stroked his hair.

‘It’s OK, we just have to be really careful.’ She said.

‘OK.’ He said his eyes closing. She stayed seated on his bed and once he was asleep, she picked up the bear Paul had given him and she looked at it. He was still such a little boy, even though he had the same monster dwelling inside him and again she told herself she had to get him out of here. Suddenly Michael came down into the cave waving a fire torch and her stomach was instantly in knots.

‘Star!’ He yelled out looking for her but she remained quiet and just watched him. ‘Star?’ He said again and he looked behind the curtains around her bed but being unable to find her, he lit another barrel and walked over and picked up David’s bottle which, to her surprise, was empty and he sniffed at the neck. He then promptly fired it across the room smashing it against the stone wall into a thousand pieces and she could see his panicked anxiety and she put down the bear.

‘I’m over here Michael.’ She stood up and walked towards him and he turned to her.

‘What’s happening to me Star?’ He asked her exacerbated.

‘Oh Michael.’ She walked faster to him.

‘What’s happening to me Star?’

‘Oh, Michael. I can’t tell you, I don’t know how to help you.’ She put her arms around him and hugged him She wanted to protect him from what was happening to him, to take it away and make it all better but she couldn’t. She couldn’t even tell him what was going on because David had forbidden her to. And she sure as shit couldn’t kill him, she loved him.

‘What’s happening?’ He looked so lost and confused and she kissed him and the instant her lips touched his she lost all control and she wanted him. She felt just like she did in her dream and it was like the more she kissed and loved him and the more he kissed and touched her, that they could heal each other of the monsters inside them and everything was going to be OK. David and the boys were suddenly distant memories and he slowly began to undress her and her desire to be closer to him increased. She wanted him so badly that she wanted to be a part of him and she lay back and allowed his hands to roam her body and his tongue to taste her. He was close enough that she could hear his heart beating and smell the blood rushing through his veins but she restrained her need for blood, there was no way she was going to kill Michael. She pushed those thoughts out of her head and she felt him slide between her legs and enter her and she was engulfed with ecstasy as they made love for the first time.


	13. Reality Bites - David's POV

David woke up with Max in his head for the second time in two nights and he was satisfied to know he’d succeeded in his mission in messing with him.

‘Have fun last night?’ Max said in his cool calm façade and David smiled at Dwayne but said nothing and they both dropped down and went out into the main cave. ‘That’s the last time you ever do anything like that.’ David could hear the frustration in Max’s voice and he was pleased he’d pushed him to an uncomfortable place.

‘Whatever.’ David dismissed Max’s directive and it was then Dwayne noticed exactly what mood David was in.

‘I want you to show Michael what we are, what he is. Show him tonight.’ David rolled his eyes, it was the last thing he wanted to do tonight. ‘And I know about Star and Michael. You lay a hand on him David, you’re dead.’ Max’s tone turned deadly and David’s anger peaked again.

‘What’s he on about?’ Paul asked as he and Marko appeared.

‘Apparently he didn’t appreciate our visit.’ Dwayne answered him, putting on his shoes, while David stood there looking like the epitome of pissed off.

‘Nah, what did the bitch do this time?’ Marko asked looking hard at David and David looked at him.

‘She fucked him.’ David said in his low voice and they all looked up at him, disbelieving how calm he was.

‘What the fuck is she doing alive?’ Marko looked over at her still sleeping form, disgusted and David slid his eyes over to her with an equally abhorred expression.

‘Get out.’ David said still looking at her.

‘Huh?’ Paul asked him like he didn’t understand him.

‘Get out!’ David barked at them and they all knew well enough to get out of there. Marko was right, what the fuck was she doing alive? He wouldn’t have put up with this from anyone else ever, in fact he’d killed his last ‘girlfriend’ for doing something similar and had chosen not to maintain any relationship after that, until Star, and the fact that Max knew fucked him off even more. He leaned against the back of the couch watching her, it would be so easy to kill her right now, to tear into her and drink her dry like he’d fantasized about so many times before. She wouldn’t even know what had hit her and he could then get rid of the kid and go on like he had for the past century, doing whatever the fuck he wanted. He knew it was what Marko wanted and even though Paul seemed to like her, maybe he too had had enough of her, but Dwayne had told him he was meant to be with her and that had always stuck in David’s mind. Maybe this was what Max wanted, he’d never wanted Star in the mix and to orchestrate this killed two birds with one stone. He had to give Max credit, he, like David, always got what he wanted no matter who was involved. He saw her wake up and he was instantly in her head and found her thinking about Michael and how much she wanted to see him again and then he saw her panic over not following through with his orders and wondering whether he was aware of that fact or not.

‘I know you disobeyed me.’ He answered her unspoken thoughts and her alarmed eyes found him and she instantly sat up covering her naked body. ‘And I know what you have done.’ He said looking her up and down and he saw her blush embarrassingly. ‘I know everything.’ David stood up and walked to her morphing his features into the monster beneath and he enjoyed the fear it provoked. It was the only aspect of this whole thing he was enjoying, he was about as close to being hurt as he could remember ever being. He grabbed her jaw hard, digging his nails into her skin and dragged her to her feet. He stood there staring at her and without warning he belted her hard across the face. ‘You’ve left me no choice now Star, I’m going to have to give your boyfriend a dose of reality. Our reality. Your reality. You fucking leave this cave and you’ll get far more than a sore cheek. You can be sure of that.’ He watched as she began to crumble in front of him and he turned and left. David came out to the top of the cliff and the boys all watched him sceptically.

‘It’s time we showed Michael. We’ll take him down to Panther.’ David announced getting on his bike and Paul looked over at Dwayne with his face screwed up.

‘So are we gonna go get him?’ Marko asked and David shook his head.

‘No, he can come to us.’ David said, slightly distracted before shaking it off. ‘Let’s go to the Boardwalk.’ David felt like he had the weight of the world on his shoulders but he still managed to maintain his cool careless exterior as they walked onto their turf. He tried to centre himself and stop thinking about Star but he was struggling. He couldn’t believe she’d done it. As seemingly weak and submissive as he’d grown to know her to be, she’d shown real balls to not kill Michael after everything he’d told her and everything she’d seen David do, but she was also incredibly stupid to have let him catch her sleeping with him. They walked along the balcony above the stage area and looked over at the crowd below.

‘So what are we actually going to do?’ Marko asked David and Paul put one leg over the railing and looked at him. ‘Are you going to finish her?’ David looked at him and sighed. He didn’t know what he was going to fucking do.

‘If you’re gonna kill her, can we kill him too? The guy’s a dick.’ Dwayne added. The whole Michael thing had proven to be nothing but a pain in the ass and Dwayne was over it.

‘We have no choice with Michael and… I don’t even want to think about her right now.’ He turned his attention back to the crowd and tried to absorb some of the atmosphere, it was buzzing and he slowly felt his tension fading as he watched the girls shake their bits in front of him. He could feel Marko was still unhappy but Marko sometimes struggled with the way David chose to deal with things and he was just going to have to get over it. Dwayne pulled out a cigarette and lit it, leaning on the railing and David nudged him prompting him to hand one over. They stood there for a while content to be distracted by the crowd before them and surprisingly they didn’t sense him approaching.

‘Hey!’ Paul called out just about losing balance as Marko was yanked backwards and out of the way before David had an irate Michael pulling on him and turning him to face him

‘Where is she?’ He demanded and David blew a lungful of smoke in his face laughing at him.

‘Take it easy Michael.’ David was dangerously on edge and Michael had no idea what he was doing or who he was dealing with.

‘Where is Star, David?’ He made himself clearer and David grabbed his jacket collar and changed his tone.

‘Michael, you ever wanna see Star again, you better come with us now.’ His expression became deadly serious and he snarled at Michael as he passed by him leaving Michael looking at Dwayne, who was his usual emotionless self and he followed David to his bike. They arrived at their rides and found Michael’s bike was parked in front of David’s and David snorted to himself. Michael was really throwing his dick around.

‘Where are we going?’ Michael demanded to know but he got no answer from anyone. ‘If you have hurt her…’ Michael thinly threatened and David stopped and looked at him. If he could, he would rip his tongue out and watch him drown in his own blood but instead he got on his bike and started it up.

‘No holding back boys.’ David projected to the boys. ‘Get on.’ He said to Michael and he motioned to Michael’s bike then they all watched as Michael got on his bike and moved out of David’s way allowing David to pull away and be followed by his boys.

They pulled up down the end of a side street leading onto Panther Beach and parked up their bikes. The boys all jumped off and climbed into a tree, which was a vantage point of a group of guys partying around a bonfire and Paul smiled at his brothers once he realised who it was. David laughed, it was Greg’s boys and this couldn’t be more perfect.

‘Walk this way!’ One of them sang as he danced around to Aerosmith.

‘Talk this way!’ Another one joined him and Marko smiled.

‘Fate works in mysterious ways boys.’ Dwayne silently said to the rest of them and David looked back at Michael.

‘Michael! Over here.’ David ordered him.

‘Come on Michael.’ Paul taunted him and Dwayne looked back with a levelled disinterest at the boy still seated on his bike.

‘You don’t wanna miss this.’ David cackled at him and he got off his bike and came and joined him in the tree and the boys continued to laugh at him. David kept his eyes on the prize as he spoke to Michael. It was time. ‘Initiations over Michael. Time to join the club.’ David laughed as he showed his true self to the increasingly frightened boy and the other’s laughed even more at Michael’s expression. Michael looked terrified and he turned to Dwayne to see him in full vampire mode laughing in his face, then he looked around at Marko.

‘Hi Michael.’ Marko said to him then his attention went to Paul who just laughed hysterically at Michael’s shock. The boys continued mocking him and fucking with his head until David gave the signal and they flew from the tree to attack their prey. Paul grabbed the first one and all hell broke loose. There was screaming and Greg’s boys were all scrambling to get away from the beasts that were upon them but the boys were all over them. Marko snapped the neck of one while Dwayne dragged another across the sand to his death and David sunk his fangs into the skull of Greg’s best mate and tore a strip of his scalp off. Dwayne ripped into his one and howled like a wolf and the boys began calling out Michael’s name. Marko threw his kill into the flames and cheered and David looked over to see Michael looking on with the ever familiar glow in his eyes. Paul dropped his butchered body and growled shaking his head and Michael screamed and fell out of the tree onto the sand. The boys threw the rest of their carcasses onto the bonfire and returned to normal before walking up the sand dune to look down on Michael. They stood next to each other covered in blood and breathing heavily after their ordeal and Michael looked up at them. David felt an unbelievable sense of superior satisfaction showing Michael the truth and the power he possessed.

‘So… Now you know what we are, now you know what you are. You’ll never grow old Michael and you’ll never die but you must feed…’ David wiped the blood off his face and laughed at Michael as his face dropped face first in the sand. The boys walked off still laughing at the lump on the sand that was Michael and they rode off. David was pleased with the way it had gone and it had actually made him feel a lot better. He had firmly put Michael in his place and he figured Michael’s days of fucking with Star were over. Max had what he wanted and he’d be off David’s case, now he just had to deal with the bitch and things would be right in David’s universe again. At least until he got out from under Max’s rule and Michael took his place. They rode back to their parking spot and David decided he’d walk the trek back to the cave.

‘Is that it? Is he Max’s problem now?’ Dwayne asked walking beside David.

‘Here’s hoping. I’ve had a fucking guts full of the guy. But I’ll give him one thing, he’s got balls. He’s probably gonna make a decent pack member.’ David mused.

‘Too bad he aint gonna be with us.’ Paul mentioned and it really was too bad, Paul actually kinda liked the guy.

‘Fuck it, if he can get Max off our backs, I’ll happily help turn the dude. But I have no plans on hanging out with him for the rest of eternity.’ David said walking ahead. ‘Especially after last night.’

‘Speaking of which, you want some privacy?’ Dwayne asked him.

‘No way man, I ain’t missing this!’ Paul rubbed his hands together laughing.

‘Tactful Paul.’ Dwayne said back.

‘No, he’s right. I want you guys there. She can try and talk her way out in front of everyone, including Laddie.’ David smiled, looking forward to making this as awkward and uncomfortable and scary as possible for her. He walked into the cave expecting to see her there waiting for him but only found Laddie there alone, playing on a skateboard and he froze when the boys entered. David saw the look of coy shyness tinged with fear as soon as Laddie saw them and David knew something was up. ‘Where’s Star?’ David asked him and Laddie’s eyes went straight to Dwayne. David whistled at him to get his attention again and Laddie looked back at him. ‘I asked you a question.’ He said and he could practically smell the fear coming from the boy. David frightened Laddie when he was ignoring him but now he was demanding information out of him, information that was going to get Star in trouble. ‘Now!’ David barked at him and the child folded like crepe paper.

‘She’s gone out.’ Laddie blurted out.

‘Where?’

‘I don’t know but she said it was important and she had to go alone.’ Laddie divulged and David stared at him hard, compelling all the information out of him. ‘She told me not to tell you.’ David lifted an eyebrow at this and looked at the skateboard at the kid’s feet. It looked new.

‘Where did you get that?’

‘I stole it.’ Laddie said simply and Paul spat out a laugh. It wasn’t the answer David expected and he nodded approvingly. Dwayne walked over and shook Laddie’s hair with one hand and guided him over to the other side of the cave.

‘Bitch.’ David said under his breath but loud enough for Marko to catch it. ‘Where the fuck are you?!’ He growled into her psyche but he got no answer, which only exacerbated his mood even more. She was pushing him too far and he was ready to snap. He stormed over to his chair and dropped into it pulling out a cigarette. He’d sit there and wait for her, she’d have to come back before sunrise and before long, a flurry of sequinned cotton and lace came rushing into the cave and drew all the boy’s attention. Very rarely had they ever seen her fly and it interested them. She stood there looking awkward and guilty all at the same time and he watched her until she made the first move.

‘I’m sorry.’ Star said moving towards him.

‘For what? What exactly are you sorry for?’ He snapped back at her and she stopped and looked at him. ‘For fucking Michael last night? Or for going to him tonight after I told you not to leave here?’ His words were laced with venom. ‘Which is it?’ He stood up and pushed his chair back in one swift move and he caught her flinch. ‘Hmm?’

‘I had to see if he was OK?’ She said quietly.

‘And why would you want to know if he is OK Star?’ He watched her face turn a deep crimson and he read her like a child’s book.

‘Because I don’t want you to hurt him.’ He could hear her voice begin to shake.

‘He’s not your concern.’ He dismissed her need to know. ‘You don’t belong to him, we’ve established that.’ This was doing his head in.

‘I know, but I feel guilty when you hurt someone because of me.’

‘Don’t fuck them then.’ His comeback was instant and the boys reacted as he knew they would. ‘You were told to stay put, do I need to start tying you up?’ He smirked at her reaction and the boys whistled and crowed at the comment. ‘Paul, you got some handcuffs or rope or some of that kinky shit don’t you?’ He called over to Paul and Star closed her eyes. He had her where he wanted her.

‘Sure do. You know me!’ Paul laughed and she looked sick.

‘David, please, I won’t do anything again. I promise.’ He stalked towards her like she was a possession and grabbed her by her hair.

‘You think I believe anything you say anymore?’ He was asserting his power and control over her and it made him feel good and he forcibly kissed her. He pushed his tongue inside her mouth and made her respond to him then he withdrew, smiling at her. ‘Tomorrow night, you’re mine. Or this ends.’ He warned her, motioning between them and he spun around and walked away.


	14. Reality Bites - Star's POV

Star woke up and found herself alone. Michael had gone and she lay there thinking about him, of how happy and warm she felt inside for the first time in years, then her painful reality hit her. She was going to have to tell David she hadn’t killed Michael and suddenly her heart felt like it was in a vice again and she was finding it hard to breathe. Then she thought further and she remembered she’d fallen asleep with him in her bed, she didn’t know what time he’d left but she knew he had laid with her for a while and panic enveloped her. Had David come home and seen her with him? Maybe he’d left before the boys got home. Was there a chance David didn’t see him? A chance he didn’t know Michael was still alive?

‘I know you disobeyed me.’ His deep voice rattled her chest and she quickly sat up, holding the sheet around her body, looking over to see him leaning against the back of the couch staring ice daggers at her. ‘And I know what you have done.’ He said looking her up and down and she turned her head and her face reddened with embarrassment and anger at herself for being so stupid. ‘I know everything.’ She was absolutely terrified about what he was going to do, there was no way there would be no repercussions from what she’d done and she knew it. David stood up and walked to her, his face pure evil in its true form, and her stomach dropped. This was it, he was going to kill her for sure and her breathing became shallow in anticipation. He grabbed her face hard with one hand and pulled her to her feet so she was face to face with him then she felt the numbing sting across her cheek and along her jawline and she tasted blood as he back handed her. She kept her watering eyes to the ground. ‘You’ve left me no choice now Star, I’m going to have to give your boyfriend a dose of reality. Our reality. Your reality. You fucking leave this cave and you’ll get far more than a sore cheek. You can be sure of that.’ He growled at her and he shot out of the cave. She sat in a state of shock, beginning to tremble, she held her cheek and began to cry. He didn’t kill her but there was no way he was going to let Michael live knowing what they were, especially after what she had done with him and she began to get dressed quickly. She had to go to him and warn him, despite what David had just said, her urge to protect him overcame her but then she looked over at Laddie, who was waking up and she stopped.

‘Where’s Dwayne?’ He asked before he’d even woken up properly and she felt guilty having to tell him that they had gone out without him again and then she felt torn that he had to stay at the cave for the night. He took it better than she expected though and he went off to find his skateboard while she sat there internally conflicted over what she was going to do. She began pacing, as scared as she was of David and his volatile moods, her fear for Michael’s safety was stronger and she knew she had to do something.

‘What’s wrong?’ Laddie asked her picking up on her discomfort.

‘Um, nothing. Laddie, I have to go out but I need you to stay here.’ She said to him putting her jacket on and he dropped his skateboard.

‘That’s not fair.’ Laddie pouted. ‘I don’t get to go with Dwayne and now I don’t get to go with you. Where are you going?’ He looked almost panicked.

‘I know,’ she went to him, ‘but this is really important, I have to do this. Can you forgive me this once?’

‘Yeah.’ He said looking down.

‘Look, I won’t be long. I’m sorry. I will make it up to you, I promise.’ She smiled at him and he half smiled back. ‘But there’s one more thing. I need you to keep it a secret. OK?’ She knew she was probably asking a bit much of him but if she didn’t tell him, he would tell Dwayne for sure. ‘You can’t tell any of the boys that I left, especially not David.’ He nodded and she kissed him on his head and she left.

She flew inland and fear filled her, she had no idea where David and the boys were and there was every chance that when she found Michael, that David would have already gotten to him first but she had to try. She steered real clear of the Boardwalk and went to the larger properties closer to the mountains because that’s where Marko had mentioned Michael lived when he had taken him home and then she remembered something about Rancho Palos something and she was going to have to find it, and fast. She dropped behind a service station and walked inside and asked the attendant if he knew of such a place and he told her he’d never heard of it so she compelled a drink out of him and she walked outside, contemplating her next move.

‘You looking for Rancho Palos Verdes.’ She looked over to see an old man seated on a crate smoking a cigarette.

‘Yeah, do you know where it is?’ She asked and he looked at her quizzically.

‘Why would you wanna go to old man Grey’s house?’ She figured he must be talking about Michael’s grandfather.

‘I need to talk to his grandson. Can you tell me where it is?’ He looked at her closely then he stood up and threw his cigarette away.

‘Hop in. I’ll give you a lift.’ She glanced around nervously and reluctantly got in his truck. This guy could be a serial killer but, really who was she kidding, she already lived with one of those and whatever this guy could do to her would pale in comparison to what David was going to do to her and she sat there as he got in and started up the beat up engine. They drove off up the road and butterflies rocked her stomach.

‘How far away is it?’ She asked him and his smirk didn’t ease any of her anxiety.

‘Why? You don’t like being in the car with an old man?’ He joked with her and she laughed awkwardly. ‘It’s only twenty minutes away.’ He told her and they drove in silence for the next five minutes. ‘So, where are you from?’

‘Oh, I live here.’ She answered.

‘Here? In Santa Carla?’

‘Yeah.’ She said looking out the window.

‘Where abouts? Oww, shit.’ He said and the familiar smell hit her before she saw what he’d done and she instantly clenched her teeth as she turned her head to see him sloppily wipe the blood from a fresh cut on his forearm. She didn’t even know how he’d done it but that was irrelevant to her now and she gripped her glass bottle so tight she thought it might smash in her hands trying to maintain some sort of composure and the ability not to stare at the glistening blood rolling down his arm.

Are you OK?’ He asked her and she sat there as stiff as a board.

‘Mm-hmm.’ She answered, her eyes betraying her and seeking out the blood, making her salivate at the situation. It had been far too long since she’d been around blood and it was driving her crazy.

‘Ahh, It’s just a little blood.’ He said absentmindedly. Yeah, just a little blood, just the substance that would take away the grinding pain in her gut and what would make her boyfriend eternally happy if she drained the old man of his. ‘Here we are. It’s up this drive.’ He said pulling up outside the gate and after mumbling a thank you, she couldn’t get out of the truck fast enough. He rumbled off down the road leaving her standing at the bottom of their long dirt drive and she suddenly felt very alone. She slowly walked up the path until she saw the glow of the lights coming from the house and she looked around for any sign of Michael or Michael’s bike but there was none. She closed her eyes and leaned against the tree she was hiding behind feeling sick knowing he was probably with David. This put her in a precarious position, it was now too late to warn Michael and David would be furious if she wasn’t there when he returned, she prayed Michael was still alive, then suddenly Michael’s bike screamed up the drive and he stormed inside. She put her shaking hands to her head and took a deep breath in, steeling her resolve and she walked around the side of the house.

‘Michael!’ She called up to one of the windows. ‘Michael!’ She called louder and Michael and his brother appeared at the large window. ‘I have to talk to you, can I come up?’

‘No!’ He said moving back inside the room and she took her chance and flew up into the room.

‘She’s one of them!’ His brother screamed and jumped in his bed. ‘And don’t tell me it doesn’t make her a bad person Mike!’ He said wrapping himself in his blanket.

‘You know where David took me tonight, don’t you Star?’ He accused her.

‘Who’s David?!’ His brother called out.

‘Yes and it’s my fault. If you hadn’t met me, if I hadn’t liked you. I tried to warn you.’ She said holding back the tears.

‘Well I’m just like David now Star.’ He told her in a matter of fact.

‘No you’re not, you’re like Laddie and me. We’re not one of them…’

‘Until you make your first kill.’ His brother whimpered, finishing her sentence and she looked down.

‘Why didn’t you kill me last night?’

‘You were supposed to be my first. That’s what David wanted.’ She looked up at him. ‘But I couldn’t Michael.’

‘Why? Because you care so much about me?’ He asked and she put her hand to his face.

‘Yes I do.’ He violently pushed her arm away from him, he was angry with her and she looked away again, hurt.

‘What are you doing here? What do you want from me?’ It was a question she didn’t want to have to answer.

‘I wanted to tell you that it’s not too late for you, but for me it gets harder and harder to resist. He stepped towards her and roughly grabbed her shoulders. ‘I’m weak.’

‘What do you want from me Star?!’ He demanded from her and her tears began to fall.

‘I was hoping you’d help Laddie and me.’ He began laughing at her and pushed his face close to hers and she glanced at him.

‘Where the fuck are you?!’ David suddenly burst into her head and she had to leave. He let her go and he turned away from her and she instantly flew from the house, going as fast as she could back to the cave. Her heart ached, he blamed her for his predicament and she’d lost him to David now. Her chance for escape and true love was gone and now she was at the mercy of a volatile and very angry vampire. She shot into the cave, landing beside the fountain and the room that was thick with tension went quiet. David just stared at her and she had to explain.

‘I’m sorry.’ Star walked towards David.

‘For what?’ David drawled at her. ‘What exactly are you sorry for?’ She halted and looked at him, picking up on his tone. ‘For fucking Michael last night? Or for going to him tonight after I told you not to leave here?’ She could barely breathe. ‘Which is it?’ He stood up and she felt every pair of eyes on her and she swallowed thickly but said nothing. What could she say? He knew exactly what she’d done and where she’d been, there was no point in lying to him, that had always made things worse. ‘Hmm?’

‘I had to see if he was OK.’ She admitted.

‘And why would you want to know if he is OK Star?’ He pushed and again he made her blush scarlet as he stared deep into her soul, filtering through her dark secrets that weren’t so secret anymore.

‘Because I don’t want you to hurt him.’ She said quietly, speaking the truth.

‘He’s not your concern. You don’t belong to him, we’ve established that.’ He reminded her.

‘I know but I feel guilty when you hurt someone because of me.’

‘Don’t fuck them then.’ His comeback stung and it made the boys laugh at her. She was being humiliated before the punishment and she just wanted it to be over. ‘You were told to stay put, do I need to start tying you up?’ He smirked which made her feel even more uncomfortable. ‘Paul, you got some handcuffs or rope or some of that kinky shit don’t you?’ He called over to Paul and Star closed her eyes.

‘Sure do. You know me!’ Paul laughed and she opened her eyes to see Marko looking at her, smiling behind his thumb mocking her. She was hating this, she would rather be slapped again than to be put through this in front of everyone. Laddie stood beside Dwayne watching.

‘David, please, I won’t do anything again. I promise.’ He stalked towards her and grabbed her at the back of her head by her hair bending her backwards.

‘Why would I believe anything you say anymore?’ He said in his controlled tone and he abruptly kissed her hard. It wasn’t kind or loving but rough and forced and she was scared. He pulled away and smiled his evil grin at her. ‘Tomorrow night, you’re mine. Or this ends.’ He said pointing from him to her and back again. He spun around and walked away and she stood there slightly shaking as Laddie came up and hugged her.


	15. It's Over - David's POV

David retreated back to his chair and the company of his boys, and they smoked and laughed and did a good job of distracting him from her and the bullshit she had caused but he would still glance over to her and catch her eye and be consumed with the hate and hurt she’d inflicted upon him. He didn’t know why she just wouldn’t submit like the others had and the only thing he could think of was what Max had told him and that made him even angrier, not just that Max had been right but that he’d been too arrogant to listen. Paul was fucked and Marko was well on his way too, so he led Paul out the back and they crashed while David sat there sucking on another cigarette and he became aware of Dwayne looking at him.

‘You alright?’ Dwayne projected to him and David caught his breath before answering him.

‘How am I supposed to feel? The bitch fucked him.’ Dwayne continued to look at him surprised David was showing him any kind of emotion. David only ever displayed and malice and a superiority over anything he chose to engage in. ‘Fuck it, it’s either tomorrow night or never.’ He covered his slip up and flicked his cigarette into the nearest barrel. Dwayne dropped it, getting up and lifting Laddie up from the couch and putting him in his bed then he left David to it and David sat there in the silence and looked at her. He’d fought too hard and wanted her too much to just let her go and he needed to see if he still had her. If he could still affect her without compelling her. He stood and walked to her motionless body and looked her over. He brushed her hair from her shoulder, exposing her supple neck to him and he ran his finger along her neck, rousing her from her short sleep, and as she looked up at him, he saw the old Star looking back at him, the way she used to in the beginning, and he held her gaze for a minute. He rolled her onto her back while holding her jaw to the side as to keep her entire neck open to him and he leaned down and ran his tongue from her collar bone almost to her ear and, feeling aroused, and he kissed her. He kissed her again and he scraped his growing fangs along her the surface of her pale skin and he found he could already taste her and he was quickly unable to control his instinct to penetrate her, so he did, and he was instantly reminded of how sweet her blood was. She was like the sweetest most potent drug he’d ever had and he was beginning to feel torn over what to do with her. Being made aware of the hurt she could cause him and everything he’d put up with, with her, he could go so far as to say he loved her now but he still felt the need to tear her in two. He pulled away and slit his wrist and hovered it above her, letting it dribble onto her mouth and she reached up and grabbed it, placing it straight to her mouth and the way it felt when she drank from him, she may as well be sucking his cock with the effect it was having on him. He saw the effect it was having on her too and he felt a tinge of satisfaction, then he abruptly pulled his arm from her grasp and he stood up triumphantly. She wanted more of him badly and he saw the familiar tinge in her eyes as she lay there distraught he’d taken the serum for her infliction away from her.

‘You still want me.’ He mocked her. ‘You need me to live Star. Don’t you ever forget it.’ He stepped back and walked away from her, knowing he was leaving her wanting more. She was so close that he was certain tomorrow she would fold like a deck of cards. David went to sleep confident in the knowledge everything was going to change and he would have everyone where he wanted them to be again and if he didn’t, he was going to wipe out Star, Michael and Laddie, damn near everybody, if it made him feel better.

**0o0**

‘Aaarrgghh!!’ Marko began screaming and David felt a sharp pain in his chest and he woke up and began screaming also, only to see Marko falling to the ground and landing on two guys with a huge stake protruding from his chest. Dwayne and Paul were screaming too and David looked at the young teenagers just as they looked up at him.

‘You’re dead meat!’ David screamed at them and they freaked out and yelled even louder. If they thought they were scared before they had no idea what they were in for now. David flipped down and hissed at them as they struggled to get through the main passageway that led out to the main cave and he shot after them. He grabbed one of the kids legs and pulled him back to him but the other two held fast to the boy and, being in the middle of the day, David was struggling to maintain his grip with the limited strength he was finding he had. Then suddenly his hand was pulled into a shaft of sunlight and he let out a piercing scream of pain and he had to let the little shit go. David sat back in the shadows processing what had happened and trying to think where he’d seen the kid before, then it hit him. He had been at Michael’s house a couple of nights ago. He was Michael’s brother and he began laughing, there’d be no stopping David now. First Michael had fucked Star and now he’d orchestrated Marko’s killing. Michael was a dead man and David didn’t give a fuck what Max wanted now. David flew back to the sanctity of his sleeping cave and sleep took him instantly as it had Paul and Dwayne and they slept the sleep of the dead until the sun rose. David awoke and Marko was at the forefront of his mind and he screamed to wake the others. David was hurting already and he was fucking angry, his Marko had been taken and there was no way he would be refraining from any revenge tonight. He was ready to rip apart anyone who crossed his path. He shot out of the passageway to wake Star and put his boots on but then he got a second hit when he saw that both Star’s and Laddie’s beds were empty. Paul appeared with a filthy look on his face with Dwayne looking similar behind him and David stood up.

‘Who the FUCK?!’ Paul roared and David stepped towards them.

‘Michael.’ David answered him. ‘Look who else is missing.’ He watched as his remaining boys looked over to the two empty beds and Dwayne became even more ropable.

‘They’re fucking dead.’ Dwayne growled and they flew from their cave home on their mission of revenge. David flew like a bullet train inland towards Michael’s rural house, a myriad of torture techniques running through his head and David could feel the rage emanating from his brothers over Marko and it was making their flight even more urgent. They approached the house and saw Michael and his little brother out in the yard untying a dog and Star and Laddie standing on the porch yelling at them to come inside, along with the two who had killed Marko and it all came together for him. So she was there of her own volition, she was part of this and she would be taken out as Michael would be. David zoned in on Star and suddenly she screamed to Michael that he and his boys were coming and Michael, having untied the dog, looked up at David and ran for the house, shutting the door behind him. Paul flew in through the balcony doors upstairs while David slipped in through the garage and Dwayne made the distracting and more dramatic entrance through the fire place. David flew up into the rafters of the bottom floor and perched, taking pleasure in watching Dwayne swing from the old chandelier and boot Michael in the face, sending him flying to the ground, smashing a lamp and tripping a fuse and bringing the room into a comfortable darkness. He knew Star and Laddie had gone upstairs and he heard Star scream and he fought his instinct to go to her and he stood fast when he heard Paul’s voice in his head.

‘She’s up here.’ Paul told him.

‘Deal with them and leave the bitch to me.’ David said back to him and then he heard Paul confronting the two boys over Marko and then he heard them screaming and he smiled. At the same time Dwayne flew out of the shadows at Michael’s brother, who was bent over Michael trying to wake him, and Dwayne picked up the screaming boy by his face and lifted him 10ft in the air, laughing at him. David sat on his haunches enjoying the anticipation Dwayne was creating with the boy when the boy pulled out a water gun and squirted him between the eyes and Dwayne dropped him like a stone, screaming in pain. Suddenly David heard Paul cry out and it was the most brutal searing scream David had ever heard then at the same time Dwayne postured against the boy and he flew towards him and the boy fired a bow and arrow at him and Dwayne silently went down and David froze. Paul had stopped screaming but there was now a low grinding noise in the walls and suddenly the kitchen began erupting with bloody water but David was too focused on Dwayne to pay too much attention when he saw Dwayne suddenly stood up, laughing. He tried to contact Paul and got nothing and he looked over at the exploding kitchen and realised it was the remains of Paul.

‘You missed sucker.’ He said, walking forward and David prepared to fly down and help him.

‘Only once Pal.’ Michael’s brother said priming another arrow and he fired again, hitting Dwayne square in the chest forcing him back against the stereo and bringing it to life. Dwayne screamed above Michael Hutchence’s singing until he imploded and David sat shell shocked at what he was seeing. What the fuck was happening here?! Michael and his brother jumped up and clambered up the stairs, stopping to look at the water spouts appearing in the kitchen, and David made his move and hung down in front of Michael and pushed him backwards down the stairs, laughing at him. Michael’s brother continued up the stairs, leaving Michael alone with David and Michael stood up looking around for David and David was pleased he looked scared. David flew at him and kicked him in the face sending him to the ground again and Michael stood up wiping blood from his cheek.

‘Afraid to face me David?! Huh!’ Michael called out and David stood up on his perch, creating a shadow on the opposing wall. ‘Come on.’ Michael dared him.

‘I tried to make you immortal.’ David told him.

‘You tried to make me a killer!’ Michael screamed and David again flew at him and drove his boot into the face of his opponent. He landed in the corner of the room on the rafters in front of Michael, laughing again at him. Michael was a pussy. Michael turned to face David and David saw he’d turned and he stopped laughing.

‘You are a killer.’ David confirmed and the true game had begun. David watched Michael lick the blood dripping from his nose and David launched, meeting Michael in mid-air and he wrestled around with him until Michael managed to drive him backwards against the wall, missing a deer’s head mounted on the wall by mere inches. David looked at the dead animal then back to Michael. ‘My turn.’ David shot forward with all his strength and he knew he had Michael. David headed straight for the old man’s taxidermy room filled with plenty of sharp bones and antlers sticking up from the table but Michael grabbed the top of the door frame and held David off. Michael was strong and would make a decent vampire and David couldn’t help but think that Max really knew what he was doing when he chose pack members. ‘Stop fighting me Michael, I don’t want to kill you. Join us.’ David said to him, trying to coax him one last time. Regardless of everything, David’s boys were gone and all David had now was Max and Max wanted Michael.

‘Never!’ Michael denied him but David kept pushing him.

‘It’s too late. My blood is in your veins.’ David reminded him when suddenly Michael’s momentum changed.

‘So is mine!’ He screamed and David’s eyes widened in shock when in a split second, his jacket was grabbed and Michael flicked him around and pushed him onto the table of skeletons, piercing David’s chest on a pair of long antelope antlers. David screamed out in pain. He had lost.

‘No! Ahhh… Ahhh…’ He held onto the protruding stakes as he rocked and struggled with what had just happened to him. His hands fell to his side, his head fell back and he began to close his eyes as he felt the life drain from him until everything went black and he was out.


	16. It's Over - Star's POV

David proceeded to ignore her for the rest of the night and she retreated to her bed and tried to maintain a neutral composure and not to think of Michael as to not antagonize the beast any further. She would catch him glancing over at her occasionally but there was definitely no comfort in his eyes and she looked away again. His reaction to her affair had been too mild, she knew that, which meant the worst was yet to come and she lay on her bed with her back to the boys and began to imagine what else he had in store for her. She had no idea how long she’d been lying there in her fear filled head but she began to tire, she heard the boys talking and knew they were wasted and she closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep. She became aware of her hair being pulled off her shoulder and a finger tracing the length of her neck, sending shivers through her body. She knew it was David and she looked up at him and he ran his hand under the strap of her singlet looking at her with those hypnotic blue eyes and she was reminded of how sexy he could still be and how hypnotically attracted she was towards him, despite herself. He rolled her onto her back while holding her head to the side, exposing her entire neck and she closed her eyes waiting for the strike when she felt the tip of his tongue slide up the side of her neck and he kissed her throat. Her heartbeat heavy in her chest and he kissed her again and she felt the light scrape of his teeth against her skin and she flicked her eyes open just as he punctured her skin with the tip of his incisor making her flinch and her body go rigid. He pushed his fang a little deeper into her and in some sick way, she was enjoying it and she relaxed into it. His hand found her breast as he settled into her and began to drink from her. The disturbing waves of ecstasy she was feeling took over and her hand went to his head, her fingers running through his hair, when he abruptly pulled away and looked at her as he brought his hand up and sliced a cut into his wrist and held it above her and let it drip onto her lips. She found it impossible not to partake in it and she placed her hands around his arm and pulled it down to her mouth. His blood tasted exquisite and as she swallowed, it felt like the missing part of her was being fulfilled when he roughly yanked it away from her and stood up looking down on her, his expression changing to one of superior judgement.

‘You still want me.’ He said to her and her cheeks burned as she stared up at him, unblinking. ‘You need me to live Star. Don’t you ever forget it.’ He stepped back and walked away leaving her alone. She lay there hating herself for succumbing to him and hating herself even more for wanting him. She felt just as weak as the girl who was being abused by her father a year ago and she almost felt like she was in the same situation. An immense tiredness overcame her and she melted into sleep, half hoping she wouldn’t awaken.

‘Star? Star?’ She felt someone shaking her shoulder, rousing her from what felt like a Lorazepam induced sleep. ‘Star?’ It kept going and she rolled her head over to look at who was waking her and she saw it was Michael. What was Michael doing here? ‘I’m taking you out of here.’ He said motioning to lift her.

‘No, take Laddie first, please?’ She rolled back over. She didn’t really comprehend what was going on but if she was going somewhere, Laddie was coming too. She drifted back into a semi unconscious state but she became aware of being carried then suddenly she was rocked by a guttural screaming. It was a scream like nothing she’d ever heard before and and she didn’t know where it was coming from but it deeply upset her. Then just as quickly, she felt a stinging burning on her feet and the heaviness of sleep came down on her like a tidal wave and she was unable to withstand it, practically passing out.

She woke up in a strange bed in a strange house unsure of where she was or how she’d gotten there but she knew something was wrong, very wrong and she looked over to see Laddie asleep beside her.

‘Are you alright?’ She spun her head around to see Michael and her heart crystalized. She was at Michael’s house. What the fuck was she doing here? Then she remembered the screaming and her fragile heart shattered.

‘Michael, what have you done?’ She asked, alarmed.

‘I had to get you out of there.’ He said and he looked out of the window.

‘There was screaming, who was it?’ She tried again to get an answer from him but he just looked at her and suddenly she didn’t need an answer. Something had gone terribly wrong. She knew something had happened to one of the boys but she didn’t know which one.

‘They’ll be coming for Laddie and me, won’t they?’ She asked.

‘They’re coming for all of us.’ Michael said still watching through the blinds and she panicked.

‘Laddie, wake up.’ She shook him to life and he sat up, looking confused and Michael walked out.

‘Where are we?’ He asked her.

‘We’re at Michael’s.’ She told him and fear entered his eyes.

‘David’s going to be angry.’

‘I know.’ She said and she hugged him. ‘Come on.’ She pulled him to get up and they walked out to find Michael in the main room and he turned to look at them. There was some commotion going on downstairs when the sound of a dog barking came from outside and Michael and Star walked out onto the balcony to see what was happening. She saw Michael’s brother running out to the dog to untie him from the fence and Michael bolted downstairs and outside to help him. She turned to follow then half way down the stairs, she felt it. She didn’t know how but she could feel the anger and rage coming from David and she knew he was close. She ran down the rest of the stairs and screamed at Michael to hurry up. She came out onto the porch where two other young boys in army gear stood screaming for Michael’s brother to come inside and she joined them.

‘Michael!’ She screamed and she looked up and she saw them approaching in the dark sky and guilt instantly flooded her as she could only see three of them. It had been Marko screaming. She was now really scared as she watched them coming in fast and she was sure she was about to see Michael get killed. ‘Michael, they’re coming!’ She screamed and Michael and his brother looked up and ran back with the dog and they all went back inside, Michael slamming the door behind them.

‘Take them upstairs!’ Michael demanded and one of the army boys ordered her up the stairs with a plastic gun while the other one picked Laddie up and ran up the stairs with him when, to Star’s horror, Dwayne came smashing through the fire place and swung on the wooden chandelier. He kicked Michael in the face and she saw him go down and true fear hit her. The lights went out, shit was going down all around her and she had no idea what she was going to do.

‘I say we terminate them right now!’ The army boy next to her yelled, pulling out a wooden stake out from his shirt and she bolted.

‘Laddie, run!’ She screamed, grabbing Laddie and pushing him in front of her as they ran through the bathroom and into a connecting room when the door suddenly slammed behind her.

‘You killed Marko!’ She heard Paul roar behind the closed door and her heart lurched into her throat.

‘Yeah, you’re next!’ She heard the army boy with the stake yell back.

‘Nah, you’re next!’ Paul retorted and she knew it was going to get ugly.

‘Laddie, get under the bed!’ She told him in a frantic whisper and he did as she instructed while she hid in a closet. Oh God, Marko was dead. These people had killed him. Michael had told them to kill him, what the hell was happening?! She didn’t want what was happening around her, to happen but it was too late. Suddenly a high pitched screaming came from the bathroom and she knew it was Paul. What were they doing to Paul?! Where was David? Why wasn’t he stopping this? She just wanted to get away from them, she didn’t want them dead. This had gone way too far. Paul was still screaming and so were the other boys and she placed her hands over her ears to block out the sound. The house began shaking and a low grinding sound appeared once Paul’s screaming had ceased and it sounded like the house was going to implode. She heard more screaming coming from downstairs along with music in the house and an explosion and she was too scared to move. People were dying around her, her people, people she knew and lived with and David and Dwayne would be furious and would probably blame her. She was terrified, David would kill everybody in this house including her and Laddie now. She heard the door open and what sounded like the army boys and Michael’s brother and she prayed they didn’t find Laddie. Where was Michael? She wondered if that screaming downstairs was him. She was in a living nightmare.

‘I nailed one of ‘em downstairs with a bow and arrow.’ Someone whispered. It wasn’t Michael, he was saying he’d killed one of the boys. One of her boys and she began to shake.

‘Alright Sammo! We trashed the one that looked like Twisted Sister!’ Paul.

‘Totally annihilated his night stalking ass!’ They were celebrating murdering Paul and someone else but she didn’t know if it was Dwayne or David and her chest hurt. The thought of David being killed upset her, it shouldn’t but it did.

‘Awesome monster bashers!’ They clapped hands and suddenly she heard Laddie screaming and in turn the army boys screaming then a bang against the wall and she heard Laddie growling.

‘It’s the attack of Eddie Munster!’ One of the boys yelled.

‘Get him!’ She burst open the door and stood between them and Laddie, her arm outstretched to stop them. There was no way she was going to let them kill him.

‘Stop! Get away from him! You just stay away from him!’ The three of them stopped and looked at her. ‘He’s just a little boy.’ She began to tear up and Laddie was growling and clawing at the boys from behind her and she looked down to see what she’d prayed she’d never see. She was instantly reminded of the reason she had to get away from David and his monsters.

‘Fuck it. Come on, let’s find the leader!’ One of the army boys said and they left. She turned and hugged Laddie and he screamed as the realisation hit him.

‘Dwayne is dead! They said they killed him! And Paul!’ She held him tighter, she hadn’t thought of the effect this would have on the poor kid and the grief he’d feel losing the boys. She had to find Michael. She pushed Laddie back and looked at his tear streaked little face, the guilt flooding her.

‘Laddie, I have to go find Michael and I want you to stay here and calm down.’ She didn’t want him seeing any dead bodies so she got up, bolted from the bedroom and ran down the stairs seeing the kitchen exploding with watery blood and the chaos all around her. She got to the bottom of the stairs and saw a male’s body lying with long deer antlers sticking up through his chest.

‘Michael!’ She screamed running towards the body thinking it was him and she came to an abrupt halt when she realised who it was. It was David and she began to hyperventilate. David was dead.

‘Mike!’ Michael’s brother yelled as he came down the stairs and she was quickly pulled to her left into the shadows behind the wall and Michael was there.

‘Don’t let them see me like this.’ His voice was horse and she looked at him to see the monster he’d become. The three young boys came running into the room and, seeing David lying there, they cheered at his demise and she felt sick. ‘Get away Sam.’ Michael told him and they all looked over at them sitting against the wall on the floor.

‘Mike, what’s wrong?’ Sam asked.

‘I said get away!’ Michael growled and she whimpered a little at him sounding just like the monsters she’d grown to know so well. The monster she’d tried to stop him from becoming.

‘But you killed the head vampire. It’s all over.’ Sam lamented.

‘Nothing’s changed.’ Michael said and she thought about it and she agreed with him.

‘He’s right, I don’t feel any different.’ She added.

‘Then there’s still one more.’ Sam turned to the army boys and the front door opened.

‘Michael?’ Michael’s mother had got home with someone else. ‘What happened here?’ They both asked coming into the house.

‘I’ll handle Mom.’ Sam said and ran off to intercept his mother with the army boys. ‘Don’t let her see any of the bodies.’ He said as they ran to greet her and bombarded her with random excuses as to why the house was in the state it was. Star sat there numb, looking at David and disbelieving the sight before her. Her David was dead, and for some reason now she felt like he was her David just as much as she had been his Star. She was shaken and shocked yet also somewhat relieved, relieved she’d no longer have to live in fear of him or the pressure he put upon her to consume blood, but in that relief, she felt guilt. She felt that this had been all her fault. A man walked into her vision and over to David, placing his hand on David’s cheek turning his face so he could see it properly and he sighed. He knew David, but that perplexed her because no one knew David. The man turned around and she looked up at his face and he was familiar to her. How did she know him? He was from the Boardwalk, what was he doing here? She thought harder and then it came to her, he was the owner of the video store she’d walked into last year, the one who had looked at her strangely and who had been at Bocci’s Cellar that night looking at her. Who was he? He walked off towards Michael’s mother who was being accosted by the army boys and she kissed Michael on the cheek.

‘I don’t want to hear another word until I talk to Michael.’ She heard Michael’s mother sternly tell his brother.

‘I’m sorry Lucy. This is all my fault. David and my boys misbehaved but I told you, boys need a mother.’ David and his boys? Oh My God, it was him. Everything David had done had been for him and suddenly it made sense to her.

‘Max, what are you talking about?’ Michael’s mother asked, confused.

‘I knew it, you’re the head vampire!’ Michael’s brother concluded and Star stood up.

‘Sam, don’t start this again!’ Michael’s mother scolded him.

‘You’re the secret that David was protecting.’ Star came out from her hiding place to confront the man.

‘Mmm.’ He smiled and nodded, confirming it for her.

‘Who’s this?’ Michael’s mother asked her but Star ignored her and kept her eyes on Max.

‘But you passed the test?’ One of the army boys asked, holding up a gun to Max.

‘Don’t ever invite a vampire into your house, you silly boy, it renders you powerless.’ Max spoke like he was teaching him a lesson.

‘Did you know that?’ Michael’s brother asked one of the army boys.

‘Of course, everyone knows that.’ He spat back.

‘Has everyone gone crazy here? What’s the matter with all of you?’ Michael’s mother asked, looking like she was losing her mind.

‘It was you I was after all along Lucy.’

‘What?’ She said, concern filling her voice.

‘I knew that if I could get Sam and Michael into the family, there was no way you could say no.’ Max explained and Star stared at him, finally understanding why David had turned Michael instead of killing him.

‘Where’s Michael?’ She asked him.

‘It was all going to be so perfect Lucy. Just like one big happy family. Your boys and my boys.’ He motioned back to David lying on the table behind him. She now knew it wasn’t her that had caused this to happen, it was Max.

‘Great, the blood sucking Brady Bunch!’ One of the army boys said.

‘But I still want you Lucy.’ Max spun back around fully turned and stuck his tongue out at her and her and the young boys screamed. Star jumped at the sight of him, he was obviously older than David and his features were far more pronounced and evil. ‘I haven’t changed my mind about that.’

‘I didn’t invite you this time Max.’ Michael stepped out from behind the wall and Star spun around to look at him.

‘Michael.’ Lucy cried and Max turned and laughed at the newly turned pleb, his laughter cackling like lightning. Michael ran towards Max and Star screamed his name before Max simply grabbed Michael and flicked him up onto the balcony above.

‘Michael!’ Lucy screamed up at him and Star grabbed a long black steel rod and ran towards Max screaming and he instantly took it off her and pushed her to the ground. Spinning around and countering the army boys who were charging towards him then he snapped the pole growling loudly. Star got up and backed off, this guy had the strength of all four of the other vampires and he was no one to mess with. No wonder David had done his bidding.

‘Don’t you touch my mother!’ Sam ran at him and Max grabbed him easily and held him beneath his chin and held his hand out to Lucy.

‘Don’t fight Lucy. It’s so much better when you don’t fight.’ Max said and Lucy cringed.

‘Mom, Mom don’t! Mom, don’t do it! Mom! Don’t do it! Mom, no! Mom!’ Sam cried and Star watched Lucy take his hand and relent when suddenly a loud car horn blared and a small truck came bursting through the wall. Michael jumped down from the balcony and landed, pushing Max forward and impaling him on a large fencing pole stake that came flying off the back of the truck and he was propelled back into the fire place. The place exploded and Michael sheltered her from the fallout as smoke and ash and bricks came falling down around her. Max was dead, she could feel it, and she knew her nightmare was over.

‘Yeah!’ One of the army boys said once the dust had settled.

‘Yeah! We kicked their ass man!’ The other agreed and Star looked around to see the destruction around and she became overcome with emotion.

‘It’s over, it’s over, it’s… it’s.’ Michael took her in his hands and comforted her then Laddie came running down the stairs with a huge smile on his face.

‘Star! Star!’ He continued down the stairs.

‘Laddie!’ She got up and he ran to her and jumped in her arms and they hugged. He was free now too. She put him down and heard Michael asking if everyone was OK and Lucy hugged her boys. Star turned to see an old man, who must be old man Grey, walking from the truck over towards the kitchen.

‘Dad!’ Lucy turned to see him. ‘Dad?’ She questioned when he didn’t answer and he walked over to the fridge pulling out a beer and drinking it. Lucy, Michael and Sam walked over to him. ‘Dad, are you alright?’ He turned to face them.

‘One thing about living in Santa Carla I never could stomach. All the damn vampires.’


End file.
